The assignment under discussion was not merely confidential; it was confidential several times over. We met in a quiet central London cafe — “a table at the back, please” — where, between coffee and croissants, a senior woman in an elegant black suit explained the brief: they needed an experienced writer to craft speeches and help define the public voices of two very high-profile figures.
Those figures were Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. As a former chief speechwriter to the prime minister, I had been recommended for the job.
I was thrilled. It was November 2019, and although there were already hints that something was amiss with Harry and Meghan — they were then taking a curious six-week “break” in Canada — they were still firmly within the embrace of The Firm. As a lifelong royalist, someone who could practically hum God Save The Queen before I could properly speak, I was eager to help team H&M in whatever way I could. The plan was that I would meet them after their return from Canada.
Then came the explosion: Megxit Day, the Great Megscape, the January 2020 announcement that landed like a thunderclap and caught almost everyone off guard.
Professionally, missing out on the role was a modest disappointment. Personally, as someone who cares deeply about the country and the Crown, it was far more painful.
It had all begun with such promise: the radiant Windsor wedding, the newlyweds driving to their evening reception in a powder-blue E-type Jaguar, Harry looking like a red-haired James Bond and Meghan dazzling in bespoke Stella McCartney.
Together, they seemed to possess enough glamour, magnetism and star power to help carry the monarchy’s appeal for another 50 years, whatever the nose-ringed republican critics might say.
Over the past six and a half years, Harry and Meghan have brought hurt and embarrassment to the Royal Family
In a YouGov poll, 71 per cent of the public said the government shouldn’t fund any of Harry and Meghan’s security
They were stars – and what hurt was their rejection, not just of royal life, but of the country I love. The best of the United Kingdom had been offered up to Harry and Meghan: the English Season, the Scottish Highlands, the castles, the gardens, the urban cool and the rural set.
It felt like our nation’s riches and rituals were sampled and met with a ‘no thanks’. The beautiful American butterfly seemed to have found Britain cold and staid and small. So it was with some delight that I saw the news of their return last week.
I felt like a scorned lover getting a surprise text from an old flame: They want us back! Though they live in an Italianate palace of dreams in a place of eternal sun, they want us back!
They miss the land of rain and banter, of Greggs sausage rolls and disproportionate grumbling about potholes. Suddenly I am prepared to forgive everything.
Yes, they made some serious errors. Selling their story was tawdry. But we all make mistakes.
Seeing Harry’s face now, I don’t doubt he regrets the path chosen. He was at his best and happiest when larking about at charity events, not schmoozing Hollywood bigwigs. The move back to the UK seems like a clear attempt to start making amends.
But, alas, it seems most of my fellow countrymen and women aren’t in a welcoming mood. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone were to daub the white cliffs of Dover with the message: ‘No gingers or whingers.’
A survey of friends garners the following opinions on the Sussexes: ‘toxic’, ‘grifters’, ‘as welcome as nits’. And in a YouGov poll, 71 per cent of the public said the government shouldn’t fund any of Harry and Meghan’s security – never mind that he is fifth in line to the throne, or that they and their children would be high-profile targets for nutty people, or that top-notch, intelligence-led security can only be provided by arms of the state.
Meanwhile, we hear that Prince William’s froideur remains at Antarctic levels. This is understandable. Over the past six and a half years, Harry and Meghan have caused hurt and embarrassment to the Royal Family.
Clare Foges says her fellow countrymen and women aren’t in a welcoming mood towards Harry and Meghan
But the bigger picture is this. The Duke and Duchess will remain hugely high-profile figures for the rest of their lives. Either they can carry on making jam and doing ill-advised commercial projects or they can be cautiously welcomed back into the fold as working royals. Whatever they have done, their return to the ribbon-cutting frontline would be a big benefit to the House of Windsor and a huge boost to Britain’s soft power abroad.
A royal reunion would be a tonic for us all, too; a sign in torrid times that forgiveness is possible. Imagine the sight on Christmas morning: the Sussexes and Cambridges walking the path to the Sandringham church together, Charlotte holding Lilibet’s hand, Louie and Archie larking around. It would be like a swig of champagne for the nation – and Lord, don’t we need it?
So come on, Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, make it happen. Be the bigger people. Welcome the Sussexes back, insist on their security being paid for and, in time, ask them to pick up the slack at the odd hospice opening or nursing home visit.
My advice to Harry and Meghan: lie low for a year or two. When you do make a public appearance, pick unglamorous causes that are close to the nation’s heart: the elderly and disabled, not the woke and right-on.
Don’t tell us how to live or show off how lavishly you live. Profess your love of the country, not your shame at its shortcomings.
Be cheerleaders for Britain and perhaps once again Britain will be cheerleaders for you.
And if you need any help on the speeches front, yes, I am still available!
