The Harry & Meg Soap Opera: They’re coming home — but who is going to pay?

Six years after Megxit — they’re coming home

Well, well, well. Six years after Harry and Meghan walked away from royal life and decamped to America, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are coming back to Britain — this time with Archie and Lilibet in tow.

The couple are expected to relocate later this month to a private, non-royal home outside London, with their children due to start British schools in September.

They are not returning as working royals. They remain private citizens and will not be moving into a royal residence. They are, however, keeping their substantial home in Montecito, California, as well as their property in Portugal.

So this isn't exactly a case of abandoning the American dream.

It looks rather more like adding a British base to the Sussex empire.

And then there is the security question...

This is where the soap opera gets really interesting.

Harry has spent years insisting that Britain is unsafe for his family without proper protection. His security arrangements became the subject of a bitter legal battle after he lost his automatic entitlement to taxpayer-funded police protection when he stepped back from royal duties.

Now he is moving his wife and two young children back to Britain — and nobody appears willing to say exactly who will protect them or who will pay for it.

The Prime Minister has indicated that security arrangements are a private matter, while the Home Office and Buckingham Palace have declined to spell out what protection the Sussexes will receive.

Reports suggest the cost of full protection could run into millions.

That raises a rather obvious question.

If Harry and Meghan are private citizens, who exactly picks up the bill?

Harry's old argument comes back to haunt him

There is an unavoidable awkwardness here.

During his legal battle over security, Harry argued that Britain was his home and that he wanted his children to feel at home here — but said that could not happen if he could not keep his family safe on British soil.

Now they are coming back.

Whatever has changed, something clearly has.

Perhaps Harry now believes the threat has diminished. Perhaps the family's security arrangements have changed. Or perhaps the Sussexes have simply decided that the advantages of being back in Britain outweigh the problems.

Whatever the explanation, the security issue isn't going away.

Charles gets his grandchildren back

For King Charles, however, there is a much more personal side to the story.

The King has reportedly welcomed the prospect of having more regular contact with Archie and Lilibet. The Sussexes' recent private meeting with Charles at Highgrove was an important thaw after years of family tension.

The grandchildren are now going to be living considerably closer.

And that could be one of the most significant consequences of the entire move.

Charles has reportedly been kept informed only very recently about the Sussexes' plans — despite the enormous implications for the Royal Family.

It suggests relations with Harry may be improving, but the relationship isn't exactly back to normal.

Then there's William...

And this is where the fairy tale gets rather less comfortable.

Harry's relationship with his elder brother Prince William remains badly damaged.

The Oprah interview, the Netflix series, Harry's memoir Spare and years of public accusations have left a considerable amount of wreckage behind them.

Harry and Meghan may be coming home, but there is no evidence that the brothers have suddenly kissed and made up.

In fact, the possibility of the Sussexes establishing a permanent British base raises another uncomfortable question for the monarchy.

Could Britain eventually have two royal centres of gravity?

The working Royal Family on one side — and the Sussexes operating their own media, charitable and commercial operation on the other?

That possibility is likely to make some inside the Palace distinctly nervous.

Montecito isn't going anywhere

And then we have the money.

Harry and Meghan are apparently keeping their Montecito mansion and their Portuguese property while establishing their new British base.

So this isn't a one-way ticket home.

Meghan will continue running her lifestyle business, As Ever, while Harry focuses on his charitable interests.

That makes the move look less like a return to royal life and more like the creation of a three-country Sussex lifestyle.

California.

Portugal.

Britain.

Not exactly the traditional definition of austerity.

What do the British public think?

This may ultimately be the biggest problem of all.

The Sussexes are not returning to a Britain universally desperate to welcome them back.

A YouGov poll conducted after news of the move found only 21% supported Harry and Meghan relocating to Britain, while 33% opposed the move and 45% were undecided.

Meghan's approval ratings in Britain have also fallen sharply in recent polling.

That doesn't mean the couple are universally unpopular — far from it.

But it does suggest that their return isn't going to be accompanied by anything resembling a national love-in.

They will have to win over a public that has spent six years watching their extraordinary family drama unfold from the other side of the Atlantic.

So why come back now?

And here is the million-dollar question.

Why now?

Six years ago they left Britain because they wanted independence, privacy and freedom from the pressures of royal life.

They built a new existence in California, signed lucrative media deals and became global celebrities in their own right.

Yet now they are bringing their children back to Britain, sending them to British schools and establishing a permanent home here.

Maybe it is about family.

Maybe Charles and the grandchildren are the key.

Maybe Britain is simply where Harry now wants his children to have a connection with their father's heritage.

Or perhaps, as some commentators have suggested, the Sussexes have discovered that life outside Britain wasn't quite the clean break they imagined.

We don't know.

And that is what makes this story so fascinating.

The Sussexes are back — but the old problems came with them

One thing is certain.

Harry and Meghan are returning as non-working royals, not as members of the Firm.

They don't want the old royal job.

They don't want to live under the old rules.

But they are coming back to the country, the institution and the family from which they walked away.

And the old questions are coming back with them:

Who protects them? Who pays for it? Will Harry and William reconcile? Can Charles rebuild his relationship with his son? What role will Meghan play? And how will the British public react?

The Sussexes may have thought they were leaving the Royal Soap Opera behind in 2020.

Unfortunately for them — and fortunately for everyone who enjoys a good royal drama —

the soap opera appears to have followed them home

AN ORIGINAL CONTENT

I wonder what she will do with all that unsold jam!!

And Candles..........

Edited 28 minutes ago28 min by Macro

They will be extremely unhappy in the Cotswolds. It epitomizes real England, or if like these 2 you are woke champions it epitomizes toxic whiteness.

Isnt it wild how all these "white man bad" lefties like the gruesome twosome and DeGeneres move to the whitest areas? Surely they want to live in the diverse areas they so badly wanted?

Its crazy

49 minutes ago, Social Media said:

Meghan will continue running her lifestyle business, As Ever, while Harry focuses on his charitable interests.

Lol.

As Ever? Better known as Was Never. Candles without wicks and Jam so poor it couldn't even be called Jam and had to be renamed loose fruit spread. 😄

As for Harry's charities, he's currently being sued by Sentebale amid claims of misogynoir.

Face it, he's skint after losing millions in his case against the Daily Mail. He's spent his 30 pieces of silver for betraying his family so he's crawling back with his tail between his legs to scrounge off "Paapaa" because he's proved he's incapable of standing on his own 2 feet. What a pathetic excuse for a man. 😆

22 minutes ago, Macro said:

I wonder what she will do with all that unsold jam!!

Most of it expired apparently.

Like the couple's popularity.

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

The Sussexes are back

really??? who cares