Royal Family 'Won't Help' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle When Things Go Wrong After Couple Moved Back to U.K., Palace Insiders Claim
The royal family has no plans to 'help' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle if their UK return blows up in their faces.
Aug. 29 2026, Updated 5:58 p.m. ET
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the U.K. spotlight, but The Firm reportedly has no intention of rushing to the rescue if their British comeback backfires, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Instead, the royal family reportedly intends to play the "long game" when it comes to the Sussexes.
Royal Family Plans to Play the 'Long Game' Against Sussex Publicity Onslaught
The royal family intends to patiently wait for the media to tire of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
"Harry and Megan only see five to 10 minutes into the future. They play the here and now," royal insider Rob Shuter added on The Nerve podcast.
"The royals play not next week, but the next 10 or 20 years. That's how far ahead they are looking. They plan that company, that family, like it's a major business. It is a business. And so, they're not looking for the easy hit," he continued.
Royal Family Knows the Sussexes Will Dominate Headlines
The royal family fully expects Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to dominate the headlines following their U.K. return.
The royal family is keenly aware the Sussexes' return is blockbuster news in Britain, with Harry and Markle's every move destined to dominate front pages for the foreseeable future.
A potential concern is how any charitable work by the couple could muddy the waters and create a "half-in, half-out" royal image, an idea originally shot down by the late Queen Elizabeth II, especially since the duo continues to carry their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles.
"They know that when Harry and Megan turn up, they're going to be on the cover of every paper," Shuter noted. "They know they'll go to every hospital. They're going to go to every soup kitchen. They're going to be crying at Phantom of the Opera in London with camera crews."
'The Royals Are Going to Just Let Them'
Britain's royal family carried on after the 2020 departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
"I'm told that the royals are going to just let them. Just let them do it. Just let them," Shuter said about the publicity that will surround the couple. "And a year from now, 6 months from now, 5 years from now, 'we'll still be standing.'"
King Charles III and Queen Camilla still have busy schedules, as do their successors, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
When the Sussexes quit as working royals, the late queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie, quickly stepped up their duties and have become much-loved and valued working members of The Firm.
Charles' sister, Princess Anne, remains one of the hardest-working royals, carrying out more than 400 engagements annually on behalf of the family.
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Palace 'Won't Be There to Clear Up' Any Poor Publicity
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won't get any help from the royal family when it comes to cleaning up their public images.
Shuter also claimed that if Harry and Markle's attempts to step back into the spotlight backfire spectacularly, the problem will be theirs alone to clean up.
"The other thing, too, is if you give them enough rope, they just can't help themselves. They mess everything up," the former publicist explained about the Sussexes. "The palace won't be there to clear up. That's what I've been told from my sources inside the palace is that they're not going to help them. But maybe worse than that, when things go wrong, they're not going to fix it."
