Queen’s jubilee: Royal family to reel in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with events

A royal expert has claimed the royal family will use the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee events to bring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “close” to the rest of the family.

Kate Mansey, assistant editor at the Mail on Sunday, claims Her Majesty wants “rapprochement” with the Sussexes after they resigned from royal duties in 2020.

Speaking to the Daily Mail’s royal talk show, Palace Confidential, Mansey said: “There is generally a sense that they want to bring the Sussexes in, I think. They will be invited to lots of family occasions, just not the big, official numbers.”

Her claim was backed up by the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English, who noted the initial encounters would be “awkward” and added “the amount of time that they’re seen interacting with other family members on camera will be fairly limited”.

“But as one source said to me the other week, the body language is going to be fascinating. I just hope for the Queen’s sake it doesn’t overshadow everything else that’s going on over the weekend.”

This is not the first time a royal expert has hinted at a return to working royal life for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Tina Brown, author of The Palace Papers, spoke to BBC Radio 4 Today programme earlier this month where she noted that once the Queen dies she feels as though Harry will “have a desire to serve his country”.

She also suspected the family will attempt to “reel them back in at a certain point” but admitted that could be a long way off “largely because Harry keeps lobbing these fresh hand grenades at the family, just when they’re beginning to think ‘well, can we re-establish some trust with the House of Sussex’.”

The news comes after the Duke and Duchess announced they will be joining the rest of the royal family in Britain to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

The couple will also be bringing their children, Archie and Lilibet for the four-day celebration in June.

Prince Harry and Meghan’s statement was released a mere 18 minutes after the Queen revealed she was banning them – along with Prince Andrew – from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Queen Elizabeth’s statement noted only working members of the royal family will wave to crowds on The Mall during the tradition Trooping the Colour RAF flypast scheduled for June 2.