PHIL DAMPIER OPINION
All the pieces of the jigsaw seem to be falling into place for Harry and Meghan.
It seems the exiled royal couple may at last be about to get what they always wanted, the “half-in half-out” status the late Queen Elizabeth denied them.
The Prince and Princess of Wales won’t be happy, and King Charles and Queen Camilla will have reservations, but 2026 is looking like the year the Sussexes will win big time.
So much so that we might even see Meghan back in the UK for the first time since 2022 and Charles may meet his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet again.
As one worried courtier told me : “Talk about having your cake and eating it. I don’t think they are bright enough to plan all of this but it does look like they are getting their way and that will be of concern to William.”
This is how it may play out.
Soon, Harry will find out if his Scotland Yard protection is being restored, the reason he has used not to bring his family back to the UK.
Next, he settles his case with the Daily Mail, who he is suing in the High Court for nefarious story-getting practices.
If they cave in like other newspapers – and it’s a big if – Harry could pocket millions.
In July, he comes back with Meghan for an event to kick off the countdown to the Birmingham Invictus Games for injured soldiers in a year’s time.
Although I’ve always said Meghan would be booed if she returned to England, she will be among friends as servicemen and women still regard Harry as a hero for setting up the Games.
It’s been 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.
If not, he can always stay with his Uncle Earl Spencer at Althorp.
There’s no doubt the King, still undergoing treatment for cancer, 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 celebrations.
Add in the fact that Meghan seems to be making a fortune from her As Ever enterprise (A$50 million in jam sales alone) and the couple seem to have all the cards.
Despite a never ending churn of PR experts and advisors, somehow they’ve pulled it off, whether by design or accident.
As Times columnist Shane Watson commented : “Meghan will happily return as one of the California business elite, flying the flag of mindful success all of which is going to make it harder for the Wales’s to swallow.
“William and Kate are the ones who will need to assume the brace position when the Sussex show rolls into town.”
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