A former royal photographer issued a warning to the Sussexes amid rumors of a reconciliation
13:10 ET, 29 Aug 2025Updated 13:13 ET, 29 Aug 2025
Britain’s King Charles III (L) walks with his son Britain’s Prince Harry,(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
A royal expert says the drama among the family as Prince Harry appears to be on the verge of reconciling with his father, King Charles, isn’t a good look, but the people love the messiness.
The King’s youngest son may be returning to the U.K. after he and wife, Meghan Markle, dramatically stepped back from royal duties in 2020. However, former royal photographer Ian Pelham Turner told The Mirror US, that the public prefers to have the family feuding.
“In public opinion, across both sides of the Atlantic, there seems to be more energy in the split, rather than bringing them back together again,” he said.
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“This isn’t a good look for the Royal Family; it makes the Royal Family sound like ‘The Crown,'” he added, referring to the popular Netflix series.
When the Sussexes stepped back from duties, it was groundbreaking, said Turner; however, how the Royal Family reacted showed that they were still stuck in the “dark ages,” putting Meghan and Harry in a rough spot.
“I think the reality is, what Harry and Meghan wanted to do, because they felt like they couldn’t live full-time in Britain, for whatever the reasons were, that they wanted to still do charity work in Britain, and they wanted to do half and half,” he said.
But the late Queen Elizabeth denied her grandson’s request, which Turner believes is because she was ill-advised. “I think old style thinking is where we’ve got this situation now, think the Queen was very badly advised, I really do,” he said.
Turner said there were other Royal Families that allow members to pursue personal aspirations, especially the siblings of the heir, since their responsibilities aren’t as grand.
“For me, why not? In a modern age of Royal Families, if you look at a lot of Royal Families across the world, most of the Royal Families, or the siblings of Royal Families, all go to work,” he said.
“Why should one of the oldest monarchies in the world still think we’re living in the 18th century?”
Harry and Meghan requsted to step back from royal duties in 2020(Image: Getty Images)
Even among the British Royal Family, several members have pursued their own passions while still serving the crown, such as Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh — Harry’s uncle and aunt.
But with the possibility of Harry reconciling with his father, Turner believes the family can revisit the plan that the late Queen initially shot down.
“Whether or not they sort things out in private is up to them, but I feel like, [Charles] wants to show that he is a King for everyone, that was the vow he took on Coronation Day, ‘is to be the king for everyone,'” he said.
“I think he needs to show that now in reconciliation, even with what Harry and Meghan have done, and I don’t believe everything that Harry and Meghan have done is good, but I think they were ill-advised, as well, on some of the PR things they’ve done.”
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