If Duchess Meghan is ever to set foot back on UK soil, then she wants it to be on her terms and certainly not her rivals-in-law Prince William and Princess Catherine’s!
News of a possible return to the UK is looking more likely by the week.
But insiders say Meghan has made it clear to husband Prince Harry there will need to be a compromise if she is to go.
Home at last?
As the home secretary finally looks ready to grant Harry the taxpayer-backed security he’s been fighting for years to have, the couple’s arrival on British soil is starting to look inevitable.
After all, it was the reason he said it was unsafe to bring his wife and children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, home.
And while Harry, 41, is overjoyed, insiders say Meghan, 44, is less than thrilled about returning for the first time in four years.
However, if their security is assured she’ll have run out of excuses.
Indeed, the Duke of Sussex is expected to be in Birmingham in July for the one-year-to-go celebrations for his Invictus Games kick-off.
Meghan has almost always accompanied her husband to the countdown promotions.
The Duchess of Sussex was last in the UK for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, but the couple’s children didn’t join them.
Now, any hopes Harry has about persuading his wife to join him will depend on whether he can meet her “demands”.
Outlandish terms
“Meghan has no intention of going back and is doing everything in her power to avoid it,” says a Montecito spy.
They add that this includes “giving Harry a few firm demands she wants him to achieve ahead of the trip”.
Some of the “demands” – such as flying by private jet and tagging on a European holiday – are more innocuous than others.
But it’s her requests when it comes to the royal family that have Harry sweating.
“Meghan wants King Charles to open the Invictus Games 2027,” insiders begin of her non-negotiables.
The list also includes “a photo op in public with Kate – as well as an apology in private, which the newspapers will conveniently find out about.”
An “invitation to stay with Charles and Camilla at Highgrove House” rounds out Meghan’s wish list.
A done deal?
According to royal columnist Phil Dampier, some of her wishes could be granted.
“It’s being reported that the King might let the pair live at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire while the Games are on, and I can believe it.
“I know for a fact that before Harry left the royal family, Charles had always intended to gift him the house,” Phil says.
“There’s no doubt the King wants a reconciliation with Harry and he may accept an invitation to open the Games in July 2027 – even though it coincides with Queen Camilla’s 80th birthday.”
As The Times columnist Shane Watson comments, “William and Kate are the ones who will need to assume the brace position when the Sussex show rolls into town.”
