In his first speech as sovereign, King Charles III voiced his 鈥渓ove for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas,鈥� signalling that tensions between the Royal Family, and Duke and Duchess of Sussex may be starting to cool.
Reducing the hostility between Prince Harry, his wife, Meghan Markle and the Royal Family will be key to paving a path forward for the monarchy, said 麻豆影视 royal commentator Richard Berthelsen.
鈥淭he rancour going across the Atlantic 鈥� creates interest in what [the Sussexes] do, it sells books, it sells magazines,鈥� Berthelsen told CTVNews.ca in an interview on Oct. 3. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 coming at a cost to the Royal Family, who cannot answer to it all the time.鈥�
Prince Harry and Meghan both decided to step down as senior members of the Royal Family in 2020. Since then, they have spoken about life as working royals in various interviews, expressing a lack of support from the Firm.
Still, Prince Harry reunited with his father and brother to take part in ceremonies leading up to and including the queen鈥檚 funeral on Sept. 19. According to Berthelsen, it also appeared as though some effort was made to have Harry and his brother, Prince William, appear as equals while commemorating their grandmother鈥檚 death.
Prince Harry is not an active member of the military, which explains why he was not in uniform during his grandmother鈥檚 funeral service, said Berthelsen. Additionally, any honorary military appointments and patronages were relinquished .
However, King Charles III made an exception to allow Prince Harry to wear his military uniform for a vigil at the late queen鈥檚 coffin on Sept. 17, alongside her seven other grandchildren. Prince William decided to wear an identical uniform, worn by the Blues and Royals regiment, despite having other uniforms attached to higher-ranking positions, Berthelsen said.
鈥淲illiam took a demotion [from colonel] to wear a major鈥檚 uniform at that event,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e both grandchildren and at the grandchildren鈥檚 vigil, I think they wanted to look like equals, to a degree.鈥�
While these efforts may indicate a more amicable relationship between Prince Harry and his immediate family members, this civility must also be reflected in the comments made publicly by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Berthelsen said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to have to find a way to do what they're doing without levelling criticism back to London 鈥� if they鈥檙e going to maintain a relationship with members of the Royal Family,鈥� Berthelsen said. 鈥淭here has got to be a priority to reduce the rancour in public between these parts of the family.鈥�
According to Berthelsen, family tensions are distracting from their work.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not meant to be a soap opera,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he story is not supposed to be about them, it鈥檚 supposed to be about the issues [they advocate for], the places that they鈥檙e visiting and the unity of the kingdom.鈥�
It remains to be seen how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will respond going forward, but a push for unity among members of the Royal Family may very well be an important theme throughout the King鈥檚 reign, Berthelsen said.
THE ROYAL FAMILY鈥橲 NEW 鈥楥ORE鈥�
Along with King Charles III, other members of the Royal Family also assumed new titles, ranks and roles following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Camilla, the former Duchess of Cornwall, is now Queen Consort, supporting her husband in .
Meanwhile, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, also assume the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall.
While the monarchy is made up of 11 working members, these four form the 鈥渃ore鈥� of the Royal Family, Berthelsen said. This is made clear in a recently shared taken at Buckingham Palace on Sept. 18.
By featuring the new King alongside the Queen Consort and the Prince and Princess of Wales, this photo points to the future of the monarchy, said Berthelsen.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a simple reiteration to the public that these are the two key couples in the monarchy going forward,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is now the King and his direct heir.鈥�
Despite stepping back as 鈥渟enior鈥� members of the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Meghan remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. According to Berthelsen, it鈥檚 unlikely they will receive any additional titles in the future.
Following the queen鈥檚 death, however, their children are now considered prince and princess. According to royal rules, the monarch鈥檚 grandchildren automatically hold the title and rank of prince or princess of the realm. Additionally, with Charles now King, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor become , respectively.
It may be possible for Prince Harry and Meghan to return as working members of the Royal Family in the future, Berthelsen said. But this would require a significant change in tone towards the Firm, considering comments recently made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex , podcasts and other media.
