EXCLUSIVE: How Prince Harry is Reverting Back to Royal Lapdog Role — As Meghan Markle Keeps Him on Tight Leash

Prince Harry is "drifting back" toward his royal roots – but not without Meghan Markle's firm grip on the reins, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

As the Duke of Sussex, 41, prepares for a new charity-based film project while his wife pushes ahead with her expanding lifestyle empire, insiders say their marriage has become a balancing act between fame, duty and control.

The couple, who stepped back from royal life in 2020 and now live in Montecito, California, is moving in increasingly different directions.

Meghan, 44, is focused on her As Ever brand and the second season of her Netflix cooking show With Love, Meghan, which recently dropped to highly mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Harry is returning to familiar ground with a short film titled Masaka Kids: A Rhythm Within, exploring the HIV/AIDS crisis in Uganda – echoing the humanitarian work once championed by his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: "It's always good when Prince Harry does something for charity, because then he's doing something for somebody else rather than for himself. And that, of course, is what he was trained to do, and that is where his skills lie. As for Meghan Markle, her skills are completely different. She is much more of a red carpet person.

"There is obviously a divergence of the ways. He pops back every now and again, and sort of almost resumes his old life for a few days, and then he goes back to being an appendage in the garden. He certainly doesn't look happy. So if by doing these sort of things more often it gives him a bit of a purpose, and it helps other people, then I'm all for it. But in the end of the day he's in a bit of a muddle, because he has opted out and he is not part of the working royal family, and he's very unlikely ever to be. So what can he do but make these odd appearances every now and again?"

Vickers said the prospect of Harry returning to official royal duties would be "counterproductive," warning his presence could draw attention away from King Charles.

"He is so angry, he's so full of bitterness, and at the end of the day, that's going to be counterproductive," he said.

Privately, royal aides are said to share that concern.

One palace insider claimed: "The King has made peace with the fact Harry's role in the institution is finished, but there's worry about the mixed messaging when he pops up for these causes. It stirs old wounds."