Kate, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in a show of unity as they walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle. Photo / AP
Kate, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in a show of unity as they walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle. Photo / AP
The future of Duke and Duchess of Sussex Harry and Meghan continues to hang in the balance despite the ascension of King Charles III to the throne.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II marked the first time in two years that Harry and Meghan were seen alongside Prince and Princess of Wales William and Kate - evidence of the long rift that has existed in the family.
NZ Herald lifestyle and entertainment editor Jenni Mortimer tells the Front Page podcast we're likely to see further examples of the family standing in solidarity in the coming weeks, but this doesn't necessarily mean the conflict will disappear.
"You're going to see them coming together and playing happy family," says Mortimer.
"What's going on behind the scenes is not as friendly as what's being broadcast to the public. But at the end of the day, this comes back to a father who has lost his mother and it's two men who have lost their grandmother. And that is the relationship that will be bringing them together, not their royal titles."
Mortimer says that the drama is currently being pushed aside because this is a moment in which they need each other as family.
"Harry putting his hand on Charles' shoulder is an example of being there for a parent."
King Charles had originally intimated that he wanted Harry and Meghan to remain among a small cohort of working royals before the pair moved to the US, but Mortimer said this seemed unlikely.
"In two weeks they're going to be on a plane and they're going to return to their lives. They're in contract with several people. Meghan has her Spotify podcast, Harry's apparently got his book deal. They have other stuff going on.
"They're fulfilling their duties right now, but I do not expect they will return to working royal life in any capacity any time soon. When the time is right, they'll be on that plane and they'll be relieved to be on that plane."
The complexity of Harry and Meghan's relationship with the royal family also extends to their children, Archie and Lilibet, who are entitled to the roles of Prince and Princess under a law established in 1917.
"It's believed to have come as quite a shock to Meghan that given the change in the line of succession and the fact they have been brought higher up, that [the children] can have these titles," says Mortimer.
"But the keyword here is 'can'. It's not guaranteed, so we will see what happens. I do believe it's up to Charles to grant any titles. And I think he will do that. It is the ultimate olive branch in saying: 'What happened in the past may not have been done in the way it should have. There may have been injustices. And this is how we are fixing things moving forward.'"
If Charles does take the step of offering this olive branch, the attention will then shift to Harry and Meghan and the question of whether they're willing to accept it.
While there is a possible path back for Harry and Meghan, the same cannot be said for the family's most controversial member.
Mortimer says that Prince Andrew will remain on the periphery for the foreseeable future.
"Andrew was very much kept in the fold because of his mother and his relationship with her," says Mortimer.
"I suspect that Charles will reduce Andrew's [role] even more."
Mortimer says Charles will simply not be willing to risk the reputation of the royal family by giving his brother any further responsibilities, regardless of what Andrew might want.
"He and Fergie [Sarah Ferguson] are expected to get two dogs each, the corgis and then some other dogs. So, he's got some dogs and little else going for him."
• The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
