Inside story of Harry’s try and return to royal fold

They had conceded, with no small regret, that they would probably never hear from their old friend again, resigned to believing that once-strong ties had been severed beyond repair. Yet from out of the blue, the phones of a select band of Prince Harry’s former confidants have recently been pinging with conciliatory messages. To their astonishment, the royal runaway had reached out to them through WhatsApp, four years after he left the UK for California.

‘It was a genuinely big surprise,’ one source told The Mail on Sunday.

Common among his friends was the belief that in Montecito, the Duke of Sussex, ill-suited to the lifestyle there, had transformed into a strangely sulky figure, given to sermonising and self-centred psychobabble, and – worse – taking pot-shots at his family.

That at least was the narrative weaved by some and shared by many and is perhaps why Harry, angered by the criticism, was selective in whom he contacted.

Curiously, many of those yet to receive an olive branch are among his oldest companions, including fellow Etonians. Of those favoured, a number were friends acquired in more recent times.

But, as The Mail on Sunday reveals today, Harry didn’t simply message old chums. He has consulted at least one former aide from his days as a working royal – indicating perhaps that not every­thing is as sunny in California as he might have us believe.

‘Harry is turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists and is seeking counsel from his old friends and associates,’ said a source. ‘He is clearly reaching out thinking, “I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working”.’

The overtures herald what sources refer to as early steps towards what they hope will be Harry’s ‘rehabilitation’ and, possibly, a partial return to the royal fold. Willing to forgive and forget, friends have responded positively and want to actively help him smooth a path back to the UK.

Some refer to their task as Operation Bring Harry In From The Cold. The title is only semi-serious as a permanent move is out of the question.

But rather than secretly slipping in and out of the country, fugitive-like, as he does now, the hope is that Harry will be able to spend what the source called ‘quality time’ in the UK.

Friends noted with approval his last-minute visit to attend the memorial of his uncle, Lord Fellowes, last week. Encouragingly it lasted at least four days and may yet prove a pivotal moment.

Much work is needed to mend bridges and reclaim friendships. But The Mail on Sunday has learned that a plan for a way forward has already been prepared.

One friend has devised a strategy for how Harry might begin to start moving in UK circles again. ‘He has put together a blueprint and will show it to Harry if and when there’s an appropriate moment,’ said the source. ‘This person believes there is a real chance Harry could even carry out very low-key royal duties again one day.

‘He believes if Harry comes back to the UK with zero fuss, and does zero publicity and attends very mundane events, he could prove himself and win over the British public again. He would have to accept, though, that he might be reduced to ribbon cutting for a long period. But it would give him purpose to work again. It could happen, one day, if certain members of the family could find it in themselves to allow it.’

As matters stand, it is hard to imagine Prince William welcoming the plan – or indeed any potential peace offering. Too raw are the barbs in Spare, Harry’s vitriolic memoirs, in which he suggested Kate was cold towards Meghan and that William once physically attacked him, knocking him to the floor at Nottingham Cottage. Making plain the depth of their rift, it was last month claimed that William does not plan to invite his brother to his Coronation.

But as some have noted, only semi-jokingly, if the warring Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher can reconcile, then anyone can.

Friends want a commanding figure to lead the comeback campaign, someone around whom Harry’s key lieutenants will coalesce. Emerging as the clear frontrunner is the Duke’s former right-hand man Edward Lane Fox, whom he first met on military duties. One friend described him as the operation’s ‘great white hope’.

Another source told this newspaper: ‘If anyone can do it, Edward can. Last time I saw him I wanted to take him by the shoulders and say, “Ed, please bring our boy home”. It’s the right time now.’

As Harry’s private secretary, Mr Lane Fox, a former captain in the Household Cavalry, was credited with helping the Prince improve his image after he was photographed naked on a trip to Las Vegas in 2012. Mr Lane Fox was also a great help settling former actress Meghan into royal life. She reportedly described him as a ‘godsend’.

Asked about leading the campaign, Mr Lane Fox told the MoS: ‘It’s not something I’ve got a view on I’m afraid.’

Much has changed of course since the two men last worked together in 2018, when Harry and Meghan’s stock was high in the UK. Now the couple languish near the bottom of a poll of favourite royals – hence the desire to draw on the wisdom of ‘aides from the old school’ for whom duty and discretion are watchwords.

Harry, who turns 40 later this month, is said to be at a crossroads. A former aide said: ‘All he does is spend time looking back. If only he could wrench his neck around and look forwards.’

Harry did not cut all ties when he moved to California. He remained in touch with Charlie van Straubenzee, a friend from prep school, and Mark Dyer, a former equerry to the King.

But otherwise the source said: ‘He is so cut off from his oldest – and in theory closest – friends. It got to a point where he became so disconnected that he felt he couldn’t liaise directly with his old mates. There’s a feeling back at home that it’s unsustainable. It’s simply time to return to the way things were.’

Many of Harry’s friends were supportive of the US move, believing that the motives behind it were largely sound. Who could blame him for wanting to settle down and start a family in a peaceful environment, they argued, away from the dizzying whirl of royal life and its attendant pressures? ‘There’s nothing wrong with wanting those things and seeking a fresh start,’ said the source. ‘His friends recognise that his aims were noble.’

It was the undignified way he and Meghan executed their departure, however, that caused dismay. That turned to anger when Harry began publicly criticising his family.

Charles was portrayed as an emotionally stunted father who married Camilla despite his sons’ pleas not to let her fill the role of ‘wicked stepmother’, and who was jealous of his sons’ popularity. In an interview with CBS, Harry said he had viewed Camilla as a ‘villain’ who ‘left bodies in the street’ in her quest to boost her image.

It is a measure of their capacity for clemency that Harry’s friends, unlike William, are now able to overlook these deeply wounding comments. A source said: ‘It is because his original intention was not malicious that there’s a path to forgiveness for him.’

Before his marriage, Harry was protected by a praetorian guard in the UK. In addition to rallying in times of crisis, these loyalists actively helped him find a new girlfriend after he broke up with Chelsy Davy. When he began dating Cressida Bonas they settled her into his world by introducing her, gently, to Prince William.

A source said: ‘His friendship circle can be quite a force for good when they come together with Harry’s best interests at heart.’

For his own part, Harry has seemed notably less embittered lately. Indeed there are indications of a softening, a reluctance to poke the House of Windsor further.

There had been concern that the forthcoming paperback version of Spare would bring new revelations. But to his family’s relief, Harry has decided against both updating it and giving interviews to publicise it.

Repairing his relationship with his father, if not his brother, is seen as an achievable aim, and an outcome both desire. The MoS revealed last week that the King received advice from spiritual leaders that led him to contemplate healing their rift. There were fears he would never see his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet again because Harry refuses to bring his family to the UK.

‘That situation may yet change,’ said a source.

‘What’s significant is that the first steps have been taken.’