Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are "Desperate" to Heal Rift with Royal Family

A source suggested the U.S. election had played a part.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Global Citizen Live: New York on September 25, 2021.
(Image credit: Getty Images/Gotham/WireImage)

It's been four years since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their intention to step down as senior royals. Since then, the couple has moved to Montecito in California, where they are raising their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. However, royal fans continue to wonder whether Meghan and Harry will ever be able to mend the rift their decision caused with the royal family.

In a new article, the Daily Mail's royal expert Richard Eden has suggested the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may be ready fix some of their fractured familial relationships. "It seems quite clear that they are desperate to start healing the rift," a former employee reportedly told the publication. Eden further alleged that Meghan and Harry may be particularly motivated to mend fences with the royal family in 2024, due to the upcoming U.S. election.

During a recent interview with GB News, Eric Trump waded into the royal family's relationship with Meghan and Harry. "You can happily have those two [Meghan and Harry], we might not want them anymore, it feels like they’re on an island of their own," Trump said of the Sussexes. He continued, "You can always have bad actors in everything. You can have spoiled apples in every orchard." And Eric isn't the first member of the Trump family to insinuate that Meghan and Harry aren't necessarily welcome in the United States.

Princess Kate, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Duchess Meghan photographed at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022.

Princess Kate, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Duchess Meghan photographed at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022.

(Image credit: Kirsty O'Connor - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Donald Trump previously suggested in an interview, as reported by GB News, that Prince Harry's U.S. Visa status could be impacted by his admission to drug-taking in memoir Spare. As a result, Eden's implication is that Harry and Meghan may need the royal family as allies if the prince's visa is investigated on account of his drug revelations.

Of course, there is no evidence that the prince's residence in the United States is in question. As for whether or not Meghan and Harry really wish to make amends with their royal relatives, that remains to be seen.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.