Royal expert says Harry's 'attacks on his family' can be 'forgiven' by British public

Royal fans still love the Duke

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit on September 23, 2024 in New York
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Harry may not be everyone's favourite royal, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still have legions of fans — both in America and at home in the UK.

While the Duke of Sussex has been a somewhat controversial figure since his and Meghan Markle's departure from royal life in 2020, one expert believes that all is not lost for Harry in terms of his relationship with the British public.

"I don’t think Harry has burned all his bridges with the British public. There’s something about Harry that remains quite charming and engaging," Jennie Bond told OK!.

"His many attacks on his family will never be forgotten… but perhaps they can eventually be forgiven, by enough people, anyway to make him welcome here."

By "attacks," Jennie means the various revelations Harry has made about his family in his memoir Spare, his and Meghan's Netflix docuseries, and a number of highly publicised interviews such as the couple's March 2021 conversation with Oprah Winfrey.

Still, though Jennie thinks Harry would be able to repair his relationship with the British people, she doesn't imagine that he has any desire to come back to his royal life in England.

"But, I do not think Harry wants to return to his previous life in any shape or form," the expert said. "He is forging a different way of 'service' as he puts it… and that’s the path I think he will continue on while Meghan pursues more commercial activities."

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for Jennie's claim happened this past May. At the time, Harry briefly returned to England to attend a celebration for the 10-year anniversary of his Invictus Games, and a journalist asked him: "Are you happy to be home?" The Prince just answered: "Hello!" but when the reporter repeated the question, he actually chuckled, then said: "Nice to see you!" So... clearly he was having the time of his life in his home country.

Harry has made several appearances at charity events over the past few weeks, as has Meghan. The Duchess, however, is also focussing on her brand American Riviera Orchard, which will sell luxury food items and homewares, among other things.

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Iris Goldsztajn
Freelance News Writer

Iris Goldsztajn is a freelance news writer for Marie Claire UK. She covers celebrity and royal news, and has previously written for titles including Marie Claire US, InStlyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red.

Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, she is especially interested in debunking diet culture and de-stigmatising mental health struggles.