Inside My Secret London Job Meeting With Harry and Meghan

The job being floated was not merely confidential; it was confidential with several locks on the door. We met in an understated central London cafe — “a table at the back, please” — where, between coffee and croissants, a senior woman in a sharply cut black suit explained the brief. They needed an experienced speechwriter to help craft addresses and refine the public voice of the speakers. The clients were Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. As a former chief speechwriter to the prime minister, I had been recommended. I was thrilled. This was November 2019. There were already hints that all was not entirely serene for Harry and Meghan — they were then on a curious six-week “break” in Canada — but they were still firmly within the embrace of The Firm. As someone who has been a devoted royalist since I could mumble along to God Save The Queen, I was eager to help team H&M in any way I could. The idea was that I would meet them after their return from Canada. Then came the detonation: Megxit Day, the great Sussex escape, that January 2020 announcement which landed like a thunderclap. Professionally, I felt a modest pang of disappointment at losing the role.

As a patriot, I felt something closer to sadness. It had all begun with such promise: that radiant Windsor wedding, the couple driving to their evening reception in a powder-blue E-type Jaguar, Harry looking like a red-haired James Bond, Meghan in bespoke Stella McCartney. Between them, there seemed enough glamour, charm and royal stardust to keep the monarchy glowing for another 50 years, whatever the nose-ringed republicans might mutter. They were dazzling. What stung was not simply their departure from royal duties, but the sense that they had turned away from the country I love.

Britain had laid out its finest offerings for Harry and Meghan: the English Season, the Scottish Highlands, castles and country gardens, metropolitan cool and rural privilege. It felt as though the nation’s customs, landscapes and treasures had been sampled, then politely pushed aside with a “no thanks”. The beautiful American butterfly appeared to find Britain chilly, cramped and a little too buttoned-up. So I confess I felt a flicker of delight at reports last week of a possible return. It was like a spurned lover receiving an unexpected message from an old flame: They want us again! Despite living in an Italianate dream house under near-permanent sunshine, they want us again.

Perhaps they miss the land of drizzle and banter, of Greggs sausage rolls and heroic national outrage over potholes. Suddenly, I find myself ready to forgive almost everything. Yes, serious mistakes were made. Selling their story was shabby. But everyone errs. Looking at Harry now, I find it hard to believe he does not regret some of the road he took. He always seemed happiest and most himself clowning around at charity events, not networking with Hollywood power brokers. A move back towards the UK looks, to me, like an effort to begin making amends. Unfortunately, many of my fellow Britons appear in no mood to roll out the welcome mat.

At this rate, I would not be astonished to see someone paint “No gingers or whingers” across the white cliffs of Dover. A quick canvass of friends produces a brutal verdict on the Sussexes: “toxic”, “grifters”, “as welcome as nits”. A YouGov poll found that 71 per cent of the public believe the government should not fund any of Harry and Meghan’s security — never mind that he is fifth in line to the throne, that he, Meghan and their children remain obvious targets for dangerous obsessives, or that the highest level of intelligence-led protection can only realistically be provided by the state. At the same time, Prince William’s froideur is said to remain positively Antarctic. That is understandable. Over the past six and a half years, Harry and Meghan have caused deep hurt and embarrassment within the Royal Family. Yet the wider point remains: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be globally recognisable figures for the rest of their lives. They can either continue making jam and pursuing questionable commercial ventures, or they can be cautiously brought back into the royal fold as working royals. Whatever has happened, a return to the ribbon-cutting frontline would strengthen the House of Windsor and give Britain’s soft power a considerable lift overseas.

A royal reconciliation would do the country good, too — a reminder, in a fractious age, that forgiveness is still possible. Picture Christmas morning at Sandringham: the Sussexes and the Waleses walking together towards the church, Charlotte holding Lilibet’s hand, Louis and Archie mucking about. It would feel like a national sip of champagne — and heavens knows we could use one. So come on, Charles and Camilla, William and Kate: make it happen. Rise above the hurt. Welcome the Sussexes back, ensure their security is properly funded and, in time, ask them to help with the odd hospice opening or nursing home visit. As for Harry and Meghan, my advice is simple: keep your heads down for a year or two. When you do step back into public life, choose unflashy causes that speak to the country’s heart — the elderly, the disabled, the lonely — rather than the fashionable and preachy. Do not lecture us on how to live, or parade the luxury of your own life. Tell us you love Britain, rather than dwelling on its flaws. Become champions for this country and, perhaps, this country may yet become champions for you again. And if you still need help with the speeches, I remain available.