Prince Harry may have a chance to rejoin the royal family, but only under one significant condition: coming back without Meghan Markle. This bold assertion comes from royal biographer Tom Bower, who shared with The Royalist Podcast this week that the 41-year-old Duke of Sussex confronts an unthinkable decision between his spouse and his relatives.
Bower, who authored the forthcoming book “Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family,” described a grim outlook for the Sussexes’ present circumstances. The pair marked their seventh straight Christmas apart from the royal family celebration at Sandringham, separated from both the British royal household and Meghan’s own alienated family members.
Bower indicated the Duke struggles to easily mend fences with his relatives following all the revelations in his memoir. “Harry clearly met his father with the hope that he could ingratiate himself back into the family, but it isn’t going to work,” Bower said. The biographer highlighted what he perceives as Harry’s divided allegiances and his failure to wholly dedicate himself to healing the rift.
The remarks came after a short, roughly 55-minute encounter between Harry and King Charles at Clarence House in September 2025, their initial in-person meeting in more than 19 months. The gathering generated optimism among royal observers that a resolution might be achievable, but those expectations swiftly dissolved when particulars of the confidential meeting were allegedly disclosed. Harry’s team implied “sources intent on sabotaging” the reunion were to blame.
Bower disclosed that the Duke of Sussex secured a short session with his 77-year-old father “by the skin of his teeth” but was told that “not a word must be spoken about it.” The biographer subsequently highlighted what transpired afterward as proof of Harry’s divided loyalties: journeying to Ukraine by train and telling reporters about having no regrets for anything he said in “Spare.”
Harry’s divisive memoir, for which he purportedly obtained a $20 million advance, persists in casting a lengthy shadow over any possible reconciliation. The exposé detailed personal family disputes and confidential exchanges, generating injuries that Bower implies may never mend.
The circumstances become more intricate when factoring in Meghan’s own family difficulties. The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex stays alienated from her father, Thomas Markle Sr., 81, whose connection with his daughter disintegrated around her 2018 wedding to Harry. Thomas confessed he had deceived Harry about staging paparazzi photographs just weeks prior to the ceremony.
Meghan allegedly contacted her father through letter after discovering his emergency leg amputation in the Philippines in December 2025. Doctors were forced to amputate his left leg below the knee following a blood clot that stopped circulation. Thomas said he was “confused” by claims she had attempted contact, while a hospital source questioned whether the outreach actually happened. From his hospital bed, he conveyed willingness to reconciling and meeting his grandchildren, six-year-old Prince Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet.
The pair’s seclusion reaches beyond family issues. Bower referenced increasing pressure on Meghan’s commercial endeavors, especially her lifestyle brand and television career. Her “With Love, Meghan” series has attracted criticism, with questions emerging about the sustainability of her entertainment projects.
Bower contended the couple confronts substantial obstacles. “This Christmas is make-or-break time for Meghan because there are two main problems—money and profile,” he said, adding that her lifestyle shows have failed to gain traction with audiences.
Harry himself encounters professional ambiguity. He stepped down from the Sentebale charity in March 2025 during a bitter disagreement with the organization’s chairwoman—a crushing setback given he co-founded the HIV/AIDS charity in 2006 to honor Princess Diana’s legacy. With the next Invictus Games not scheduled until Birmingham 2027, his calendar looks remarkably empty.
King Charles, who is battling cancer, confronts his own challenges. Bower indicated the monarch’s attention rests elsewhere—on his health, his legacy, and ensuring a smooth transition to Prince William. In this calculation, Bower contended, Harry simply gets in the way.
The security matter introduces another dimension of difficulty. Harry has declared he cannot bring his wife and children back to the UK without adequate police protection. Bower rejected this as an excuse, arguing that Harry’s real reluctance stems from his inability to face family members after what he wrote in his memoir.
Bower’s new book guarantees further disclosures, including claims that Queen Camilla once told a friend Meghan had “brainwashed” her husband. The Sussexes have resisted forcefully against the biographer. A spokesperson accused him of peddling “deranged conspiracy and melodrama,” stating that Bower “has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation.”
For now, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain in California, caught between two continents and two families, with no clear path forward.
