Prince Harry is seeking a path back into the Royal Family on a "semi-permanent" basis, according to claims aired by British broadcaster Mark Dolan, potentially reviving the "half-in, half-out" arrangement rejected by Queen Elizabeth II when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped away from royal duties in 2020.
The claims, which haven't been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or representatives for Harry and Meghan Markle, center on royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. Dolan said Fitzwilliams believes the 41-year-old Duke of Sussex is intensely focused on rebuilding a life in Britain that would reconnect him with the monarchy while stopping short of a conventional full-time royal role.
"So, Richard Fitzwilliams is very clear that this is a plan," Dolan said. "He said how this plan is executed is anyone's guess but he's spoken to Sky News Australia and he has said that this is what Harry's going to do."
Dolan characterized Fitzwilliams's assessment more dramatically, saying the commentator believes Harry is "obsessed 24/7" with returning to the Royal Family and spending substantially more time in the U.K. The account doesn't establish that Harry has presented such a proposal to King Charles III or palace officials.
Any attempt to create a hybrid royal position would immediately encounter a precedent established after Harry and Meghan announced in January 2020 that they intended to step back as senior members of the Royal Family. Negotiations that followed resulted in the Sussexes giving up official working-royal duties rather than combining commercial independence with part-time representation of the monarchy.
That distinction became one of the defining features of the couple's departure. Queen Elizabeth rejected an arrangement that would allow Harry and Meghan to operate independently while selectively carrying out duties on behalf of the Crown, effectively closing the door on the model now being discussed by commentators.
Dolan suggested that a new arrangement could involve Harry spending time at royal properties such as Buckingham Palace, Highgrove House, Balmoral and Sandringham while maintaining a less formal relationship with the institution. No evidence was presented that the Royal Household has offered Harry access to those residences under such an arrangement.
Dolan nevertheless portrayed Fitzwilliams as a credible and well-connected observer of the monarchy and treated the possibility of Harry's return seriously. "So, be afraid. Be very afraid," Dolan said.
The speculation comes amid persistent interest in whether Harry can repair his relationship with the Royal Family after years of public disputes. Since moving to California with Meghan, Harry has repeatedly discussed his experiences inside the monarchy through interviews, the couple's media projects and his memoir, Spare, while also speaking about his desire for reconciliation with his family.
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield argued that Harry's reported ambitions amount to another attempt to revisit an issue that Queen Elizabeth had already settled.
"When it comes to Harry's pursuit of the half in half out, I think that that is desperately what he wants," Schofield said during an appearance with Kevin O'Sullivan. "I haven't seen anyone else or any other couple try to put words or change history when it comes to Queen Elizabeth more than Harry and Meghan."
Schofield also challenged portrayals of Harry and Meghan's relationship with the late Queen, arguing that the couple's subsequent public narrative doesn't change the terms imposed when they left frontline royal life.
"At the end of the day, she made it clear to us she did not want these people half-in, half-out," Schofield said. "And it should be period, end of story. They can't keep trying to change history!"
