Why the Royal Family Really Needs Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Right Now

The state of the royal family is in limbo as two of its most prominent figures face health challenges. As Kate Middleton remains out of the public eye following her January abdominal surgery and King Charles undergoes regular cancer treatments, the public is wondering: What’s going on with the monarchy?

Prince William has been nearly silent about what’s happening with his wife and though Kensington Palace explicitly stated that The Princess of Wales wishes that her personal medical information remains private, noting that she would be absent from royal duties until after Easter, it hasn’t stopped the general public from speculating about her absence. Though the palace has been more open about Charles’ cancer battle, his health issues forbid him from doing much by way of royal functions.

The current turmoil begs the question: Should Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle, aka the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, be there?

The couple has remained thousands of miles away at their home in Montecito, California, though Harry flew out to England for a quick visit the day after Charles’ cancer was announced. He reportedly didn’t see his brother or his sister-in-law during the trip however.

Now, experts are speculating about how things might be different if Harry and Meghan had remained in the UK, to begin with (they left their royal duties behind and moved to California in 2020). Talking to People exclusively, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith said, “This is a slimmed-down monarchy in the ways the King could never have anticipated. This puts into much sharper focus what a terrible mistake it was for Harry to leave. If [Harry] and Meghan had stayed in Britain and stuck with their jobs, they could be very vital players right now.”

When they parted ways with the monarchy in 2020, the couple wrote on Instagram, “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family … We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”

However, the couple hasn’t been back often, instead focusing on their growing family and their career ventures. Still, Catherine Mayer, the author of Charles: The Heart of a King, told People, “They desperately need [Harry], and nobody could have foreseen the set of circumstances that would expose that so dramatically.”

Only time will tell what, exactly, the future looks like for the Royal Family and if Harry and Meghan will be present for it.