In a captivating revelation, a new biography suggests that Buckingham Palace once considered appointing Prince Harry as Canada’s governor-general, in an effort to retain him and Meghan Markle within the Royal Family. The book reveals that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given five potential pathways before the pivotal Sandringham Summit in January 2020, which eventually outlined the conditions of their royal exit. Author Russell Myers, focusing on the Prince and Princess of Wales, quotes a former courtier who argued that the options provided to the couple indicated they were far from being abandoned by an indifferent institution.

Myers further references another palace insider who lamented that ‘nothing was ever good enough’ for the Sussexes, who later established their independent lives in Montecito, California. Among the more intriguing suggestions was for Harry to serve as the monarch’s representative in Canada—a Commonwealth nation and former British colony. This idea, however, was ultimately dismissed due to the fact that the position of governor-general is reserved exclusively for Canadian citizens.

A senior palace source expressed the exasperation felt during the discussions, stating: ‘We spent months crafting potential roles for them, yet each apparent solution faced multiple obstacles.’ At that time, public opinion in Canada strongly favored the proposed appointment of Prince Harry, with 61 percent supporting his candidacy for the position vacated by Julie Payette. Notably, Meghan Markle had lived in Toronto while filming the television series “Suits,” and the couple initially relocated to Canada following their step back from royal responsibilities.

Despite discussions involving senior aides to the late Queen, the then Prince Charles and Prince William, no workable solution was agreed. Mr Myers also writes that Meghan left Harry ‘to face the music alone’ during the negotiations, as she returned to Canada with their son amid her growing unhappiness. Of the Sussexes’ preferred half-in, half-out model, the palace source said they ‘got nothing in return’ from the couple, adding: ‘We already knew they were intent on signing commercial deals and that just wasn’t going to work within the model.

So we kept saying to them, ‘How do you want this to work? Do you actually have a tangible plan that could help us?’, but we got nothing in return.’ The couple have since earned tens of millions through high-profile commercial deals, including a Netflix series, Harry’s memoir and Meghan’s lifestyle venture. Mr Myers’ book, William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, will be published on February 26.