There are many theories and conspiracies about why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex *really* decided to move their family back to the UK. I’ve shared my theories over the past three months, and I’ve been listening carefully to what Team Sussex has briefed to certain outlets, and what Prince Harry has said directly in interviews. And I still don’t really know if there’s some hidden reason. At this point, I just take Harry at his word while also reading in between the lines – he was homesick for Britain, he wanted his kids to experience British life and British schools, he wants to live a public life in the UK, and he wants to reconcile with his family. But what if there was a whole other secret reason for the return? What if… the Sussexes are going to take over as heads of the Commonwealth? Per Richard Eden’s column:
Shome mishtake, shurely? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are being tipped to lead the Commonwealth.
King Charles succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth, as head of the organisation but the position is not hereditary.
Private Eye magazine claims that Prince William has shown little interest in following his father and that the talk at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the Caribbean was of his brother and sister-in-law stepping in to the breach.
‘Among those being whispered about in Antigua to succeed [the King] are H and/ or M,’ it reports. ‘H & M gained a lot of support across sections of the Commonwealth after Meghan accused the royals of racism five years ago.’
The couple were stripped of their roles as president and vice-president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust in 2021 after they quit royal duties in 2020.
Conspiracy-wise, this guess is as good as the next one. We all know that Prince William has zero interest in anything to do with the Commonwealth or flop tours or even representing British realms as head of state. We also know that King Charles looked like bedraggled ass as he staggered his way through the Caribbean in the past two weeks, a Commonwealth tour which was built around his speech at the CHOGM (and my prediction is that this was his final CHOGM). If Charles wants to keep it in the family, Harry and Meghan are the most logical choices. I mean, who else is there? Sophie and Edward? Princess Anne?? The poor Gloucesters?? But at the end of the day, Charles doesn’t use logic. He’s rather the Commonwealth die with him than hand it off to Harry and Meghan.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid, Avalon Red.
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696621832, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696640808, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1763809 – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex,, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex BACKGRID USA 25 OCTOBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 9 MARCH 2020 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry And Meghan Markle (the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) Attended Their Last Official Event As Working Royals The couple joined the Queen and other family members at the annual Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey, Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 9 MARCH 2020 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- 09-03-2020 Commonwealth Day Celebrations Westminster Abbey 2020
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- Service of Thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Featuring: Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 03 Jun 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR NORTH AMERICA**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a visit to Agave Gardens in St John’s, home to the Antigua and Barbuda Horticultural Society, to meet local horticulturists, artisans and members of community groups working to preserve traditional skills, heritage plants and sustainable growing practices, as part of the royal visit to Antigua and Barbuda ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda When: 02 Nov 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla sip agave tea during a visit to Agave Gardens, a drought-resistant garden and seed bank that is home to the Antigua and Barbuda Horticultural Society, as part of the royal visit to Antigua and Barbuda ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: Saint Paul, Antigua and Barbuda When: 02 Nov 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they depart Antigua and Barbuda following their attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026 Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda When: 04 Nov 2026 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke and duchess of Sussex arrive at Westminster abbey for the commonwealth day ceremony.
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- 09-03-2020 Commonwealth day Celebrations Westminster Abbey 2020
Richard Eden is a Stunt Queen. Remember, he was busted using a burner account named “maureen.” He, years ago, was debating with someone on twitter, logged out, logged back in and forgot to log in as himself, but instead used his “Maureen” account
This is the man who nearly cried ON CAMERA when Harry/Meghan left, saying it felt like they were breaking up with HIM. He is not to be believed as he wildly speculates to the point of utter fantasy.
I had wondered early on if this was the reason. I don’t know what the ins and outs are in terms of how this can be done, but if Charles’ goal is to preserve the “Crown”, this would be a good move. H&M are the most likeable, most charismatic, most popular….ALL the things that would inject a whole lot of energy into the monarchy. Of course, this would ENRAGE William. OF COURSE. But he will be the kiss of death for the monarchy.
If Harry and Meghan go anywhere near the Commonwealth, their fans will never recover.
True. However, I hope this is just another made up fluff to fill a column for a paycheck.
At this point in time, assigning a British royal to be the head of the Commonwealth is a terrible look and an anathema. Let the Commonwealth nations elect their own head. The only reason why Charles is head today was due to QE2’s insistence.
Smarter for Meg and Harry to work with Invictus and with other international organizations. No need to step into the messy empire day quagmire.
Wasn’t that kind of, sort of, the original plan? That H&M would go to a Commonwealth nation?
It’s laughable to think Charles will appoint Harry and Meghan to lead the Commonwealth. Although not required, they aren’t working Royals. Not to mention Charles barely talks to Harry and Meghan.
It’s not up to Charles to appoint his successor. It’s the Heads of Government to agree to someone succeeding him and I think Charles is going to be last British monarch as Head of the Commonwealth.
Yes, Eden doesn’t even understand how it works.
This is a laughable suggestion on par with Harry desperately wants to be treated more princely and be a working royal and Billy’s bff.
Eden is forever stuck in the Empire glory days. White man rules and all that nonsense.
No way would scooter allow it he’d have a fit
This is BP yanking the TOB. Do you think there is anyway William would let Harry get all that attention from the Commonwealth?
THE COMMONWEALTH IS MINE (even though I don’t want it)
Yeah I just can’t see William allowing that to happen so why would they even wana do that for whatever time Charles has left? But I don’t even think Charles would want that?
It is supposed to be a vote by the Commonwealth, of course the Late Queens virtually forced the Commonwealth to vote for Charlie boy.
Can they do this Job from Montecito? if so then great. But im not sure what all this means does it mean the common wealth is breaking up with britain or is Britain splintering off from the common wealth and giving it to Harry & Meghan, will they be representing Britains interests , none of it makes sense. according to the Guardian the UK is doing a trump and cutting aid to the commonwealth. Argh i still dont get it
In what world does it make sense for Harry and Meghan to take on the issue of Commonwealth reparations? Is Prince Harry going to issue an apology on behalf of the Crown? Whether they resume royal duties is yet to be determined, this is a terrible idea.
Isn’t the consensus rather that the Commonwealth will dissolve once Charles dies? Seriously asking as someone from a non-CW country: are there concrete advantages to being a member? Is there commitment by member Staates to keep it? My (admittedly clueless) perception was always that it was rather a pet project of the queen
The Commonwealth was founded sometime in the 1920’s. It’s mostly countries that were part of the British Empire, but now I think there are new members that haven’t had British association. Some still have the British monarchy as sovereign (like Canada and Australia), but most are independent. I’m not clear on the details, but they work together on trade, investment and environmental issues, and they put on the Commonwealth Games every 4 years. I read something the other day about Canada wanting to strengthen the ties with the Commonwealth, since the US…well, the US…
I think (based on discussions with a Canadian) that the roadblock is that a country leaving the commonwealth needs an entirely new constitution. And maybe that just means little tweaks about who is head of state, but if you are enacting a whole new constitution, there is pressure to think bigger. But nobody really wants responsibility for that, apparently!
It’s laughable to think that there are folks in the world who believe that the windsors and their managers have any authority over the Commonwealth of Nations.
Try to remember that the organization did betty a favor by agreeing to allow chucky to succeed her as head of the C’Wealth. She begged and used her old-queen-on-her-last-hurrah capital to get them to agree to endorse chucky. But it was also agreed that it would be the last time that anyone would be shoe-horned in as Head. Going forward (after chucky’s Head of C’Wealth reign ended) everyone else would have to be voted in.) And therefore that meant a pre-existing and resounding NO to Bully ever becoming Head.
H&M were named by Betty as President & Vice President of the Commonwealth YOUTH Organization which was formed under Betty’s reign. It was taken from them along with everything else that they held while they were “working royals.”
Why would any sane and intelligent person believe that a group of political leaders in over 50 countries would choose a british royal to lead them at the same time that many of their members are actively trying to get rid of the last vestiges of the dead british empire?
Thank you Kingston for exercising common sense and logic and spitting facts! Even for Eden this story is breathtaking in its stupidity; not to mention patronizing and racist. England is no longer an empire and the Commonwealth of Nations’ countries don’t need halfwit English royalty lording over them. Got my Grenadian/Jamaican self heated with their foolishness!
@Kingston: You’re absolutely right. This story is irritating. The Commonwealth is trying to move from colonialism continuing the Royal Family involvement is a step backwards.
This exactly. Clearly no one, including Maureen, bothered to fact check anything before repeating something so laughably absurd. But these days, especially with h and m, facts don’t matter. Harry needs to be a working royal and treated more princely, is generally the working theory around here these days. Oh along with crying every day because he was homesick. He and m were getting divorced so this was her hail mary. Facts? 🤣🤣🤣
Actually, it was voted by the CW countries while QE2 was alive, that Chucky would be the last royal to head it.
This isn’t happening & I agree it’s Eden yanking chains.
Thankfully the BRF’s role across CW countries is diminishing with more nations looking to remove the British monarch as their head of state. William recognised that with his pre emptive disengagement with the CW after the flop Caribbean visit & Charles is making similar noises this week. The next commonwealth head isn’t guaranteed to be linked to the BRF
I think Eden’s nonsense is recognising that the BRF is struggling in particularly Black dominated CW countries & that Sophie, Edward & Anne’s trips don’t get the same interest that Harry & Meghan did with their visit to Nigeria in 2024. He would love Harry & Meghan appeal to be used in service of the BRF in this area. That’s why Harry was the one that used to do many of the high profile visits to CW countries for Elizabeth not William & why he and Meghan were heading up the Queens commonwealth trust. But thankfully Eden’s fantasy isn’t going to happen & he only has himself, his tabloid colleagues and his friends in the palace to blame.
I simply don’t see how Harry could be involved with the CW in any official capacity. Or even, that he would want to represent the king as this will at best be temporary and end in humiliation once his brother is king.
One of the many reasons they moved to the UK might be because it’s geographically centered. It would be easier to develop As Ever international and Harry will travel less oversea. Going to Brussels is now a round trip same day instead of a 72 h travelling.
Since they move, I believe we have a better idea of how truly busy they are. It has almost been non stop.
Speaking as a citizen of a Commonwealth country, the time for the British monarch being the Head of the Commonwealth is over. If it wasn’t for the Queen making a personal plea for Charles to succeed her, there would have been a rotated Head now. So any talk about Harry and Meghan being the Heads of the Commonwealth is made up. They’re not even representing the monarch how are they going to lead the Commonwealth?
Hear hear! Heading the Commonwealth is not a hereditary position, it should be someone elected on their merits who can help build economic and cultural ties.
Okay so no, I don’t think Charles is considering this and I also don’t think its place to consider anything – isnt the head of the Commonwealth voted on by the member nations? My understanding was that they just voted on Charles as a sort of final goodbye to QEII. so I dont think the Gloucesters or anne etc are in the running for the position just because they’re royals. And I dont think Charles is going to put forth H&M as his successors, and even if he did, I dont think it would go anywhere.
That said…..why is Eden writing this? Why is he putting this out there? He’s usually pretty firmly team William. This feels like a very pointed jab at William and Kate – the CHOGM weren’t talking about you, they were talking about YOUR BROTHER! HARRY AND MEGHAN! If this was coming from someone who wasn’t so pro William and Kate I would roll my eyes at it a little more. and i’m still rolling my eyes….but rolling my eyes and trying to read between the lines as to Eden’s motivation.
Perhaps Eden is building them up so they can be knocked down when Charles dies. Presented as another failure.
These royal commentators are so ignorant about how the commonwealth works it’s laughable.
Eden just traffics in gossip and it is obvious when trying to discuss something more substantive like this organization.
Some time ago I said in a post that I thought that Harry and Meg were possibly working with the British gov. and or the palace. I still believe that.
Wishful thinking perhaps but they’re not working for the Palace or the UK government.
Neither King Charles nor William has any say in the selection of the head of the Commonwealth. It is worth remembering that the Commonwealth is an association of 56 independent states, some of which have no connection to Great Britain or the Crown. The position of Head of the Commonwealth is not hereditary; it is decided by the leaders of the Commonwealth nations. Elizabeth merely proposed Charles as her successor, and the Commonwealth voted to approve him during the 2018 CHOGM; Charles has long been engaged with the Commonwealth, whereas William has shown zero interest in it for years. No one is going to nominate him. In any case, the Head of the Commonwealth does not necessarily have to be a member of the British Royal Family.
From November 1–4, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) took place in Antigua and Barbuda, and it was reportedly there that rumors circulated about Harry and Meghan potentially taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth. There was no formal campaign—just gossip and behind-the-scenes chatter. It is worth noting that Elizabeth envisioned a role for them within the organization and entrusted them with significant Commonwealth responsibilities: Harry served as a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador and President of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, while Meghan held the position of Vice-President of the Trust. They were required to relinquish these roles upon stepping back from the British Royal Family.
I do not know if Harry and Meghan would even be interested in such a position—they already have a great deal on their plates, and it is well known that they do not do things by halves. However, even if they were to head the Commonwealth, they would not automatically become active members of the British Royal Family; they would remain independent. The role has nothing to do with the House of Windsor. While it would certainly be a burden for them, on the other hand, it would be wonderful to see the expressions on the Windsors’ faces—and to watch William foam at the mouth!😂
It would be a good use of H and M”s skills. I wonder if there is any money associated with the position, or if they would be publicly funded by the UK.
I thought the Queen made Harry and Meghan President and Vice-Present of something called The Queens Commonwealth Trust which was supposed to be an organization set up to work with young people throughout the Commonwealth. They had to resign those positions, and I don’t recall anyone replacing them? Not sure if it even still exists. Charles has no power to make Harry and Meghan head of the Commonwealth. No royal should be head of the Commonwealth, should it continue to exist after Charles, who was foisted on the organization out of respect for the late Queen. No doubt Harry and Meghan would have been good for Commonwealth relations. Obviously William doesn’t care about the Commonwealth. Hopefully, one day there should be just the monarch of England, should monarchies survive.
Do you have a source for that, @GMHQ? Because I looked it up and did not see any evidence of such a vote.
The Commonwealth nations vote for the person to hold the title of Head of the Commonwealth, and Charles III was voted in, but no further vote has been documented regarding who will succeed him in the role.