Prince Harry leaves Westminster Abbey following the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023 (Picture: Getty)
Four years after he dramatically ‘stepped back’ as a working member of the royal family, Prince Harry is said to be exploring options for some form of return to UK life.
He has reached out to trusted aides and close friends back in England, the Mail of Sunday reported, and is considering carrying out ‘very low-key royal duties’ even if it means a period of ‘ribbon-cutting for a long period’.
But this would only be possible ‘if certain members of the family could find it in themselves to allow it’, ‘ the source said.
While he is not thought to want to return permanently from California, Prince Harry has reportedly been considering how he can spend more time here, having returned only rarely amid a dispute over security arrangements.
The paper said he is keen to mend the relationship with his father, which has been strained since his tell-all memoir Spare was published in 2022.
Prince Harry with wife Meghan Markle on a visit to Cali, Colombia, in August (Picture: Getty)
The King is said to have sought advice on forgiveness from spiritual leaders and ‘has faith that Harry could return’.
Prince Harry, who will turn 40 this month, was back in the UK this week to attend the funeral in Sandringham of his mother’s brother-in-law Lord Robert Fellowes.
Although his brother Prince William was also there, however, the brothers are thought to have sat apart and showed no sign of resolving their feud.
A source told the Mail: ‘Harry is turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists and is seeking counsel from his old friends and associates.
‘He is clearly reaching out thinking, “I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working”. In short, he is rethinking the way he operates.’
The paper claimed he is reaching out to people from his ‘old life’ in a bid to ‘rehabilitate’ his image, with some friends referring to their task as Operation Bring Harry In From The Cold.
Top PR advisor Christine Weil Schirmer has recently left her work with Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle after she joined them as head of communications in 2020.
She is the tenth staff member to have left the couple in three years, the paper said, including head of staff Josh Kettler who suddently quit after around three months in the role.
In another sign that he may be willing to mend rifts in the family, a paperback version of Spare which will be released in October unusually does not have any update on latest events, and the Duke of Sussex is not thought to be arranging interviews to promote it.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Prince Harry’s representatives for comment.
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