Prince Harry ‘won’t return to royal duties unless William apologises’ but would be willing to ‘help out’ the Firm if asked by his father, report claims

Prince Harry will not return to royal duties unless William apologises, with a report suggesting he is willing to ‘help’ the Firm if his father asks him to.

Sources close to the Duke of Sussex have indicated that he is happy with his decision to give up his royal role, the Mirror reports.

However, they claim he would be open to a temporary role within the royal family if his father asked him to help out.

This came after the Mail on Sunday revealed last week that the Duke had turned his back on his “Hollywood publicists” and resorted to texting former confidants “from his old life” about how he could arrange a return from exile in the US.

However, sources stress that Harry and Meghan, who have lived in California with their two children for the past four years, are not seeking a permanent return.

The Mirror previously reported that Prince William had indicated there was “zero” chance that Harry would be welcomed back after the publication of his memoirs, Spare.

In the book, Harry took aim at several members of the royal family, accusing William of assaulting him in a row over Meghan and claiming his brother and their father confronted him after Prince Philip’s funeral “looking for a fight.”

Harry also claimed that William and Kate urged him to wear his infamous Nazi costume.

He cast his brother as his “arch-enemy,” Queen Consort Camilla as an “evil stepmother,” and Charles as an emotionally handicapped and ineffectual “old man.”

William and Harry have not spoken in months and are currently not in contact.

Last week it was revealed that William and Harry both attended the funeral of their uncle Robert Fellowes, but witnesses said they did not see the brothers speak.

They were reportedly seated separately at the back of St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, where the service for the Eton-educated Lord Fellowes was taking place.

Sources reported that the couple arrived “very discreetly” and you wouldn’t even have noticed they were there.

According to The Mirror, friends of Harry have said he is determined to improve his relationship with his father, especially given his health problems.

They claimed that the Duke would still expect an apology from his brother if he represented the family in any way.

Meanwhile, sources close to Harry, who turns 40 next week, have reported that he is living in California.

They claim Harry has a “great” new group of friends in the US and has several projects in the pipeline.

He is currently preparing for a trip to New York, where he will participate in activities related to his various charities, including the Halo Trust and the Diana Award.

The newspaper also reported that Harry and Meghan had parted ways with another American PR adviser.

Christine Weil Schirmer joined the Sussexes as head of communications in 2020, but quietly left late last year.

She is the tenth staff member to leave the group in three years. Last month she joined PR giant Brunswick, where she advises clients on reputation management.

Last month it was announced that Josh Kettler, the Sussexes’ chief of staff, had suddenly resigned after just three months in the job.

“Harry is turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists and seeking advice from his old friends and colleagues,” a source said.

“He’s clearly reaching out and thinking, ‘I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working.’ In short, he’s rethinking the way he operates.”

Ending the bitter feud with his brother William is not seen as a realistic goal, but last week this newspaper revealed that the king may be open to healing the rift with his youngest son and has consulted with religious leaders as he explores the nature of forgiveness.

At least one of the advisers Harry approached was a trusted ‘old-school’ figure known for his loyalty and discretion.

A friend of his is said to have already devised a strategy to get Harry moving in British circles again, and could even perform “very modest royal duties”.

A source said the friend “believes that if Harry returns to the UK without fuss, without publicity and without taking part in everyday events, he can prove himself and win over the British public again.

“He would have to accept that he might have to do nothing but cut ribbons for a long time. But it would give him a purpose to work again.”

But the source said this would only happen “if certain family members could find it within themselves to allow it.”