Prince Harry 'will never return to royal fold despite regrets over life choices'

From their royal wedding in Windsor Castle in 2018, the pair swapped grand tradition for modern contemporary, institutionised for commercialised, and the often gloomy UK weather for the glorious sun of California.

The path to Montecito, the wealthy area on the West Coast of the United States where they now reside, was not a clean transition – rather "destructive", as commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told GB News.

It has left Harry in exile with his wife, Meghan, and two children, Archie and Lilibet. Mr Fitzwilliams believes this was never the prince's intention. And he is looking to retrace his steps and forge a closer bond with family and friends in the UK.

"I think Harry would like, depending on the security decision which we still await, closer ties with Britain and certainly with his father and with his friends.

"I cannot believe it would be satisfactory, if it remains satisfactory, that he is so often an extra in (Meghan's Netflix) cookery show."

Harry is expected to attend the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham next year – whether Meghan travels with him or not is yet to be seen.

"I mean, if he didn't (regret his decisions), we wouldn't have Birmingham coming up next year," Mr Fitzpatrick added. "We wouldn't have the plan so obvious to try and in one way or another to persuade King Charles to open (the door to a return)."

Harry has not seen his father since last September, which in itself marked a 19-month period during which the pair had not met. He is said to have suggested the idea of opening the games alongside the King in Birmingham, going some way to mending their fractured relationship.

It is this strained connection with his family and friends that commentator Rafe Haydel-Mankoo believes could have led to Harry's terminal regret.

"I think it's quite clear that Prince Harry has many regrets about the life choices that have ended up with him being estranged from his homeland and from his family and from the role he most enjoyed: being a royal prince," he explained to The People's Channel.

"I think that's why you're seeing him essentially trying to play the role of a prince in exile, with these pseudo-royal tours, as we've seen in Australia and Ukraine.

"I think he realises that the fulfilment he got from those hasn't been matched by anything he's done in America. And I think he's also realised, and they've both realised, that their prominence, their status, depends on their proximity to the royal family.

"The more removed they are from the royal world and royal engagements, the less people are interested in them as people. And that's why they are clearly making more of an effort to style themselves and carry on activities as if they were still working members of the royal family."

Mr Haydel-Mankoo claimed Harry may be hoping that his trip to Australia with his wife last month, which was followed by the prince's surprise appearance in Ukraine, will "demonstrate to his family back home that he is still capable of working as a functioning royal and hoping at some point that a door will be open to him".

So if Harry is hoping for an open door, a small opportunity – what could that look like? Could that, if he and Meghan wanted to, involve any sort of return to the royal fold? Mr Haydel-Mankoo was unequivocal.

"There's a world of difference between what Harry hopes will happen and what has any chance of happening," he said.

"It's inconceivable that either the King or the Prince of Wales would ever open a door to Harry to return to the royal fold."

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