Prince Harry is reportedly planning to go home before March 2021 to personally negotiate with Queen Elizabeth and The Firm for an extension of the Sussex pair's non-working royal status.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are apparently going to have Zoom calls with the Queen first, but Harry plans to have an in-person appearance with his grandmother as early as January.
The Sun reported that Harry and Meghan would like to retain their patronages despite stepping down as working royals early this year. Harry is also keen on getting a reinstatement for his military roles, which remains vacant up to this day.
The source told the news outlet that the vacancy will likely not be filled until the summer of 2021. The insider cautioned that it shouldn't be surprising if the roles will not be filled until then since Harry's face-to-face negotiation could go beyond the deadline.
But royal historian Marlene Koenig said Harry wouldn't likely get back his military honors since he is no longer a working royal. Koenig said in an interview with Daily Express that anyone who leaves a job wouldn't be able to keep the perks, and this will apply to Harry's deal with the Queen.
The expert also said that it will not be possible for Her Majesty to put her grandson back in his military roles since he is now based in the United States. Koenig said that the role he left would actually require "someone who is there all the time."
Harry and Meghan expressed the need to step down from their royal roles to gain financial independence and strike their own deals. Since leaving their duties as working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have closed multi-million contracts with Netflix and Spotify.
Sources said that royal aides would closely scrutinize these deals as part of their Megxit review. Someone in the Palace will ascertain that Harry and Meghan's commercial venture will still be in line with the Queen's values.
However, unlike last year's negotiations, this upcoming review will apparently be more relaxed and friendlier. Harry and Meghan's relationship with the royal family has improved since they moved to California.
According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, things are calmer between the couple and Harry's kin. The Duke of Sussex has also been in touch with his grandmother more often than people are aware.
Morton also said that some things will still need sorting out so Harry's negotiation could go until April. However, it's unclear if Meghan will join him on his planned return to London in early 2021.
