Prince Harry U-turn 'to help Meghan Markle save face' after 'embarrassing failure'

The Duke of Sussex could benefit from King Charles's key aide retiring.

The potential departure of the 57-year-old Alderton, described as the King's "all-powerful private secretary and gatekeeper," would send shockwaves through the Firm.

Alderton's departure could potentially reshape the relationship between King Charles and Prince Harry.

Royal author Tina Brown said Harry carving out a role within the Royal Family for him and Meghan would help the Sussexes save face after a failed attempt to rebrand as a power couple.

A decision to return as a part-time working royal would represent a major U-turn for Harry who stepped down from the Firm alongside Meghan in 2020.

Brown said: "If Alderton goes, it could create a new, friendlier path for negotiations with Harry to be given the security protection he seeks and to resume some curtailed version of his royal duties.

"It could also represent a great face-saver for Meghan who must realise by now that the dull demands of second-division royalty are less onerous than grinding out serial rebranding flops."

In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry notably dubbed Alderton 'The Wasp', highlighting the strain between them.

However, the path to reconciliation remains complex, with some insiders expressing doubt about Harry's return to royal duties.

The potential staffing change comes at a time when the relationship between the King and his younger son remains distant.

Any potential reconciliation would require Prince William's approval, according to royal biographer Robert Hardman, who told The Daily Beast that the heir's "buy-in and consent" would be essential for any meaningful settlement.

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Hardman said: "Whatever the King does needs to be done in tandem with both brothers, not just one. He can’t have unilateral discussions if William isn’t in agreement.

The royal author added: "Whatever reconciliation or bridge-building happens, it needs to be a three-way process. People keep asking about the king’s feelings, but William also has to be on board, which adds complexity."

Brown argues there remains "a gaping Harry-shaped hole in the depleted royal line-up."

She wrote: "As a veteran of two military tours in Afghanistan and founder of Invictus, the substantive charity that brings hope through competitive sports events for injured vets, the Duke of Sussex, now stripped of his military honours, surely deserved a place on the balcony.

"The British nation needs his human touch and so does his ailing father."