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Having returned to Britain with far less fanfare than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may once have expected, the hard work will begin the moment they settle into their new Cotswold property and wave the kids off to school.
Because if Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, truly want back into the royal fold with the King standing beside them at the Invictus Games in 2027, they will need to shift public opinion fast.
The latest UK YouGov poll shows Meghan’s approval rating at just 22 per cent for July.
And with the limited window left while Charles remains on the throne, before Prince William potentially shuts the door on their return forever, the question is whether a comeback is even possible.
History shows us that it can.
How Camilla went from villain to Queen
“The idea that Meghan was the first person to have difficulties is ridiculous, because everyone who has married into that family has,” Royal biographer Simon Vigar tells me.
“While it’s hard to see Meghan turning things around now, if you’d said to me in 1997 that Camilla would one day be Queen, I’d have burst out laughing.”
Vigar’s new book, The Four Wives of Windsor, traces the journeys of Princess Diana, Queen Camilla, Princess Catherine and Meghan, exploring how they have shaped and challenged the royal family.
In it, he recalls how Camilla was cast as the villain in the love triangle between Charles and Diana, spending the ’90s as “the most hated woman in Britain”, her reputation battered by scandal, tabloid fury and the princesses devastating “three of us in this marriage” interview.
But behind the scenes, a major PR operation was already underway.
After years of keeping a low profile, Camilla’s carefully managed “coming out” moment at the Ritz in 1999 marked the beginning of a decades‑long rehabilitation campaign.
Camilla’s 2005 wedding to Charles only went ahead after Clarence House issued extraordinary assurances that she would use the title Princess Consort — a sign of just how fragile her public standing remained.
Quietly building goodwill through tireless advocacy on domestic violence and literacy as a working royal, she avoided drama, showed up and let time do its work.
By the time the crown was placed on Charles’ head in May 2023, few questioned her right to stand beside him — including Queen Elizabeth II, who used her Platinum Jubilee message to declare it her “sincere wish” that Camilla become Queen Consort.
Today, Camilla’s approval rating sits at 43 per cent.
“Camilla understands that some people will never like her, but she doesn’t let it stop her from getting on with the job,” Vigar says. “I’m told it’s a figure she is very happy with.”
Could Meghan follow Camilla’s blueprint?
Camilla’s rehabilitation is a blueprint Meghan could follow. In fact, the Duchess of Sussex starts from a far better place: she isn’t universally hated as Camilla once was, still commanding a loyal following.
But her greatest obstacle isn’t the British public. There are two members of the royal family standing in her way and they’re the very last people anyone would suspect.
“The biggest difference is that Harry and Meghan don’t see it as though they have anything to make up for,” Vigar says. “They believe they are the only ones who are owed the apology.”
It was mindset that made Camilla’s rehabilitation possible. However, Harry and Meghan will never have the same success because it is impossible to repair a relationship you don’t believe is broken, and you cannot win back a nation you insist has wronged you.
Redemption requires humility, patience and a willingness to meet the public halfway.
Until Harry and Meghan recognise that, their path back into royal circles will remain closed, not by the Windsors, or the press, but by their own conviction that they’ve done nothing wrong.
Read more expert opinion and analysis in WHO’s The Royal Verdict with Kylie Walters here.
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