Meghan Markle could achieve a public rehabilitation on par with Queen Camilla’s transformation but only if she repairs her fractured relationship with the Royal Family, according to veteran broadcaster Simon Vigar.
Speaking exclusively to GB News ahead of the publication of his new book, The Four Wives of Windsor: The Inside Story of the Power Behind the Crown, Mr Vigar addressed the possibility of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle eventually returning to royal duties.
As one of the longest-serving royal correspondents on British television, having reported for Channel 5 since its launch in 1997, Mr Vigar has covered major royal milestones from the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Drawing on this background, he compared the current Sussex rift to the historical public hostility faced by King Charles and Queen Camilla in the late 1990s.
“Well never say never,” Mr Vigar exclusively told the People’s Channel. “The Camilla transformation is incredible. I remember how hated she and Charles were.”
Following the death of Diana in 1997, Charles and Camilla initially kept their relationship out of the public eye.
They made their first highly choreographed public appearance together in January 1999, departing a birthday party at the Ritz Hotel in London in what was internally dubbed “Operation Ritz”.
By April 9, 2005, the couple were married.
“To go from that, even in the space of from 1997 when Diana died, and then to have her first public appearance with Charles happen in 1999, so that’s only two years on, and then five years after that they were married,” Mr Vigar said.
“So to go from that in the space of eight years is absolutely incredible; anything is possible.”
Despite the precedent for a royal return to public favour, Mr Vigar expressed strong doubts about a reconciliation between the Sussexes and the current Prince and Princess of Wales.
“I can’t see the rift with the family, particularly with William and Catherine; it’s obviously never going to go back to the way it was, which is terribly sad,” he continued.
If they were to come back, which I don’t see happening anytime soon, and share the load once William and Catherine are on the throne, maybe then, but I don’t think Harry wants it, and I’m pretty sure Meghan doesn’t want to, and I don’t think they care.”
In January 2020, during negotiations often referred to as the “Sandringham Summit,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex proposed a compromise to continue representing the monarchy in a limited capacity while pursuing private income.
This arrangement was rejected by the Royal Family, resulting in a complete step back from official duties.
Reflecting on their subsequent move to the United States, Mr Vigar noted: “Harry’s seen an opportunity – he wanted to have a hybrid role, they were told they couldn’t have a hybrid role, so they’ve gone free in California, and good luck to them.”
Since relocating, the couple have publicly detailed their grievances through a television interview with Oprah Winfrey, a six-part Netflix documentary series, and Prince Harry’s memoir.
Mr Vigar stated that these actions have caused lasting damage to their familial relationships.
“They’ve burned a lot of bridges and invaded a lot of other people’s privacy along the way,” he concluded. “And that will never be forgiven or forgotten, really.”
