RICHARD EDEN: Hidden detail in Harry and Meghan’s new Netflix show that’s ‘convinced’ courtiers he wants to return – as they tell me exactly how he could do it… and deliver a warning to the Prince

Netflix last week released a trailer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tacky-sounding polo series, breathlessly describing the royals’ favorite pastime as “a sexy sport – dirty, sweaty boy riding.”

Far away, the Duchess of Edinburgh had made an announcement of her own: that she had become the royal patron of Plan International UK, a global children’s charity of which the late Prince Philip was previously a patron. Separately, Sophie later met survivors of the Yazidi genocide in Iraq at their photography exhibition, The Women Who Beat ISIS, in London.

There’s no denying that Harry and Meghan have done admirable work for charity – especially through their Archewell Foundation.

But the contrast between Sophie’s heartfelt work and the Sussexes’ latest unroyal, money-making project highlights the starkly different paths their lives have taken.

However, Palace sources have made it clear to me that Sophie and her husband Prince Edward could lead the way for Prince Harry and Meghan to return to royal duties.

Courtiers are increasingly convinced that Harry wants to resume his old way of life, while he felt he was using his privileged position to make a difference to worthwhile causes.

“Harry’s heart is not in the TV stuff, everyone can see that,” a source told me.

The prince himself even made it clear in his and Meghan’s infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that they had signed multi-million dollar deals with media giants Netflix and Spotify just because they had been cut off financially by the royal family.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh could hold the key to the Sussexes returning to the royal fold and the funding that comes with it, says Richard Eden

It is striking that Harry himself does not appear much in the polo series, even though he is an avid player. Only his name appears in the trailer, in a production credit next to his wife’s.

After King Charles’ cancer treatment was announced in February, Harry announced through friends that he was willing to take on a temporary royal role to support his father. His offer was never accepted, but Prince, who lives in California, would like to spend more time in his home country.

Meghan’s lifestyle company, American Riviera Orchard, still hasn’t sold a single product nearly nine months after it launched online amid much fanfare. The couple’s deal with audio giant Spotify was unceremoniously terminated and their contract with Netflix is ​​up for renewal next year, so their thoughts may be turning to how they can return to royal roles – and the funding that comes with it.

And that’s where Edward and Sophie come in.

Though most people have long forgotten it, Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son and his wife became embroiled in their own controversies after trying to juggle business with royal duties.

Edward was forced to close his TV production company Ardent in 2002 after it was caught filming Prince William at St Andrews University. In doing so, he violated agreements with the media to leave the future king alone while he was still a student.

The former Sophie Rhys-Jones, meanwhile, was encouraged by an undercover News of the World reporter posing as a wealthy Arab businessman to make embarrassing comments about the royal family and then Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie.

Many thought Sophie and Edward would never recover from the 2001 ‘fake sheik’ scandal.

Nevertheless, the couple decided to give up their paid work and concentrate on royal duties. In return, the late Queen Elizabeth continued to support them and they have become much-loved and respected pillars of ‘The Firm’ over the past twenty years.

It is true that they will never get millions from foreign companies, but they live a privileged and rewarding life.

“If the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are willing to give up their private work and return to royal life, they would be welcome,” one courtier told me. “Certainly, as long as King Charles is monarch.”

Therein lies a warning for the Sussexes: it is unlikely that Prince William will be as forgiving as his father.

And especially given Harry and Meghan’s outrageous attacks on the Princess of Wales, I can completely understand why.

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