Prince Harry has come under sharp criticism for his recent solo trips to the UK and Southern Africa, with a royal expert suggesting he is attempting to “mirror” royal duties. According to Phil Dampier, a well-known commentator on the royal family, Harry’s efforts to balance royal responsibilities and personal ventures are unsustainable.
The Duke of Sussex recently returned to the UK to attend the WellChild Awards and later traveled to Southern Africa to promote his charity, Sentebale. However, Dampier told The Sun that Harry’s approach to splitting his time between royal obligations and commercial interests is problematic.
Dampier commented, “He wanted to have his cake and eat it [when leaving the Firm]. He wanted to be half in and half out of the Royal Family.” The expert explained that Harry initially sought to maintain ties with certain military units and royal patronages while also pursuing commercial ventures in the United States.
“He wanted to carry on with his attachments to the military, where he was attached to certain units and certain patronages and certain charities as a royal, but still be able to go to America and commercialize other things,” Dampier added.
However, the late Queen Elizabeth II made it clear that such an arrangement was not feasible. “The late Queen Elizabeth made it perfectly clear to him that that just wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be half in and half out. You can’t have members of the Royal Family exploiting it for cash, basically,” Dampier stated.
The royal expert further suggested that while Harry may continue to support select charities he was deeply involved with prior to stepping down from royal duties, his return to senior royal status is highly unlikely.
“He can’t start doing jobs that would see him slowly coming back into the Royal Family,” Dampier said. He went on to note, “I think we’re just going to see him occasionally come back for these one-off events with charities that he’s very deeply involved with, and that’s it.”
Ultimately, Dampier concluded that Harry’s efforts to maintain a dual role within and outside of the royal family are not sustainable. “I can’t see any way back for him to be half in and half out. That’s just not going to work… He’s basically an outcast and a self-imposed outcast,” he added.
As Harry continues to navigate his life post-royal exit, the balance between his charitable endeavors and commercial interests remains a point of contention.
