In the newest edition of Our News Outlet’s Deep Dive podcast, long-serving royal correspondent Richard Kay sits down with host Chris Pleasance to examine what Harry and Meghan’s unexpected return to Britain could mean for the monarchy.
Kay, a Senior Editor-at-Large who has reported on the royal family for more than four decades, warned that the Sussexes’ homecoming could revive fears of a “rival courts” dynamic, with friends, advisers and royal insiders potentially feeling pressured to align themselves with one side or the other.
He said the couple’s presence in the UK may draw a circle of supporters around them, while the reported absence of any meaningful relationship between Prince Harry and Prince William could make a division within royal circles even harder to avoid.
Harry, Meghan and their children arrived in the UK by private jet on Wednesday, only a week after reports first emerged that they planned to move back. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be renting a property in the Cotswolds, while Archie and Lilibet are said to have been enrolled at local schools.
Richard Kay appeared on the latest episode of Deep Dive with host Chris Pleasance to assess the possible fallout from Harry and Meghan’s surprise move back to Britain
Kay suggested the Sussexes’ return could create a “rival courts” situation, leaving figures close to the monarchy to decide where their loyalties lie
“The whole thing opens up the prospect of rival courts,” Kay told Deep Dive.
“By that I mean, figures are going to gather around Harry and Meghan and then there will be those who are going to stay loyal to William and Catherine, and I suppose the King and Queen.
‘That will be an issue that the Royal family, as an institution, will be concerned about.
‘Is Harry going to assemble a sort of Praetorian guard of people who are going to be out – supporting him? Maybe giving interviews, letting people know a bit about what they’re up to? That would be concerning.
‘When Harry arrived in America, a lot of A-list celebrities were fascinated by this disgruntled prince and wanted to get to know him. I think the same is going to apply now.
‘People are going to be fascinated by what happens next. This sort of rivalry between him and William, the unresolved issues… I hate to say it, but for the royals, it will be a massive diversion from what they do.’
Elsewhere in the podcast, Kay said the ‘most extraordinary development’ to emerge in the past week was that news of Harry and Meghan’s return appears to have blindsided the King.
Reports suggest that Charles only learned of his son’s intentions three days before the decision was made public, despite the pair meeting privately at Highgrove just six weeks earlier.
Kay suggested figures will gather around Harry and Meghan, and with there currently being ‘no relationship’ between Harry and his brother, a split forming in royal circles seems likely
Kay said the sense of surprise is ‘classic Harry and Meghan’, who have a track record of wrongfooting the family.
‘It’s staggering’, the veteran royal reporter began.
‘Harry and Meghan must have been searching out schools and properties. You can’t do these things in isolation, people have to know.
‘Was the King blindsided? It certainly looks like that. It does seem incredible that he was only told almost at the last minute.
‘The whole thing, it’s a sort of classic piece of Harry and Meghan, it’s how they’ve approached their lives. They’re constantly trying to catch people on the hop.
‘They present situations like: this is it. It’s not, ‘we’re coming home, should we have a discussion about it?’ It’s, ‘We’re coming home – live with it.’ Full stop.’
Listen to the full episode, where Kay discusses how Harry could win the public back on side, by searching for Deep Dive, wherever you get your podcasts.
