Inside Harry’s secret ‘plot’ to be welcomed back to UK circles with ‘texts to Eton pals’

The Duke is reportedly ‘turning away’ from US publicists – and is instead seeking counsel from his old friends and associates on how to make a comeback to the UK

Prince Harry is reportedly planning a comeback to the UK after seeking advice from former trusted aides, it has been claimed.

The Duke of Sussex is believed to have sent Whatsapp messages to a number of pals in the UK who are ready and willing to help him make a return from exile in the United States. According to The Mail on Sunday, the prince has been consulting people “from his old life” as a working royal after reportedly becoming dissatisfied with advice recieved from US-based PR experts.

It comes after he and wife Meghan Markle parted ways with yet another American PR adviser only weeks after their chief of staff quit three months into his role.

Harry ditched royal life after stepping down with his Meghan in 2020 and moving to the US – but recent reports suggest things may be changing.

Prince Harry is reportedly planning re-enter UK circles again ( 
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Getty Images)

Secret messages to Eton chums

The Duke has already been Whatsapping a number of UK chums who are on hand to help him establish a smooth path back to Britain, it has been claimed – with a few of them dubbing their task ‘Operation Bring Harry In From The Cold’.

A source has shared how the prince is “seeking counsel from his old friends and associates”, according to MailOnline. They added: “He is clearly reaching out thinking, ‘I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working.’ In short, he is rethinking the way he operates.”

Prince Harry is believed to have Whatsapped friends in the UK ( 
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(Image: Getty))
Harry is believed to have already approached a trusted figure “from the old school” known for their loyalty and discretion. One friend has reportedly drawn up a plan for how Harry can re-enter UK circles again – and possibly carry out “very low-key royal duties”. The source added the pal “believes if Harry comes back to the UK with zero fuss, and does zero publicity and attends very mundane events, he could prove himself and win over the British public again.”

Harry is ‘unhappy’ in LA

It was suggested that Prince Harry has been unhappy in LA after he returned to America following a trip to Nigeria with Meghan Markle in May.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were spotted at the airport in Los Angeles following a mammoth 18-hour flight, with Harry looking downcast walking behind Meghan. Royal expert Tom Quinn said Harry seemed upset and suggested it could have been linked to his brief UK visit in May, where he had hoped to visit his father King Charles, but the monarch was reportedly too busy.

Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Tom said: “Harry tried desperately to put a brave face on it during his recent visit to the UK, but his real feelings were apparent when he landed back in Los Angeles. It was impossible not to see how downcast and upset he looked.

“And it’s no surprise because he had hoped to see his father, and for a good deal longer than their 30-minute meeting last time he was in the UK.”

Turning away from ‘all sorts of Hollywood publicists’

The couple have turned away from Hollywood publicists ( 
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Archewell Foundation via Getty I)DON’T MISS
A source says the Duke is reportedly “turning away from all sorts of Hollywood publicists” and is instead “seeking counsel from his old friends and associates”. It comes as Harry and Meghan have parted ways with yet another American PR adviser – only weeks after their chief of staff quit three months into his role.

Christine Weil Schirmer, who had previously worked for Apple and Pinterest, was already head of communications at the Sussexes’ charity Archewell, but began overseeing the couple’s publicity in 2020. It has now emerged that Schirmer left the role ‘quietly late last year’.

It makes her the tenth staff member to have left the pair in the last three years. Several have now left the pair since they first moved to California, including their chief of staff Josh Kettler, who shockingly quit his role three months in. A former employee said: “What may be most telling is that the entire time I worked there, I don’t think I heard a single current or former employee on their staff say they would take the job again if given the chance.

“These aren’t employees they had just found off the streets. Many of them are people who had previously excelled working for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.”