Was this a new spring for Prince Harry as he embarked on his quasi-official tour of Japan and Singapore this week?
Of course, it may have been due to the effusive and thoughtful welcome he received from the moment he arrived in Tokyo, where his status as Princess Diana’s son guaranteed him the kind of welcome he once received anywhere in the world.
However, those days are long gone – except in the Land of the Rising Sun. But there was something about Harry’s enthusiasm for his hosts (which even included a light-hearted tussle with the dreaded media) that raises interesting questions about his post-kingdom life.
Because it was certainly no coincidence that the prince’s arrival in the Far East coincided with the brutal reality check Buckingham Palace was conducting about his status – and that of his wife Meghan – in the newly remodeled royal family.
Three years after their retirement as working royals, the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were quietly removed from the British monarchy’s website this week.
The late Queen Elizabeth II wanted to ensure that anything that her grandson might interpret as a snub or the slamming of a royal door was avoided
For all his concern for his youngest son, King Charles was more determined. He evicted Harry and Meghan from their Windsor estate, Frogmore Cottage, and many see his hand in the changes to the royal website
They have also been demoted in the official pecking order, with their online biographies appearing below those of Princess Alexandra and the Duke of Kent – although Harry, fifth in line to the throne, is significantly closer to the throne than his older second cousins.
As might be expected, the courtiers downplayed the severity of the step. They insisted it was simply a “cleansing up” of a situation that has existed since the couple left for exile in California in 2020.
It was announced at the time that they would be banned from using their “Royal Highness” style while going wild for money and commercial dealings.
However, those close to the royals tell a different story. A deep bitterness lingers at the ongoing attacks Harry and Meghan have perpetrated against family members in his memoir and their various television interviews.
In such a high-spirited atmosphere, there was resentment that elements from the Duke and Duchess’s past lives were being allowed to remain unchanged, as if they were still somehow part of the ‘company’.
One reason there was no pressure for a change was that the late Queen Elizabeth wanted to ensure anything that her grandson might interpret as a snub or the slamming of a royal door was avoided.
“Her Majesty never stopped hoping that there would be a reconciliation and that the couple would one day return to family,” says a source close to the family.
But her death last September predated the trauma of Harry’s book Spare and the explosive revelations he made about his father, brother and particularly his stepmother, now Queen Camilla, whom he accused of leaking stories about him to have to enhance their own public image. For all his concern for his youngest son, King Charles was more determined. He evicted the couple from their Windsor estate, Frogmore Cottage, and many see his hand in the changes made to the royal website.
“Her Majesty never stopped hoping that there would be a reconciliation and that the couple would one day return to family,” says a source close to the family.
Prince Harry, pictured with his polo playing partner Nacho Figueras, took time out to shop for his families during his visit to Tokyo while they posed with aviator sunglasses
“Even if he didn’t approve it, he had to be aware that the changes would certainly create conversation,” says a longtime consultant. As the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death Fast approached, the time was deemed right for a change.
There was certainly an element of recklessness in a mere administrative correction. In a section about Meghan, the royal website previously described how “Her Royal Highness worked as an actress after university”. It now reads, “After graduating, she worked as an actress.” A later passage, which states that “Her Royal Highness also wrote and edited a lifestyle website,” was changed to “The Duchess also wrote and edited one Lifestyle website” changed.
Some will no doubt see these changes as minor things, but for a couple whose brand is inextricably linked to their royal status, it was an unexpected blow, despite not being stripped of their duke and duchess titles.
Still, it was a stark confirmation of how far they’ve been sidelined and how their star qualities have been erased.
This wasn’t the only painful setback Harry had suffered in the past week. A poll in the US revealed that the most popular member of the royal family was not the California-based Duke of Sussex, but his older brother, Prince William.
When people were asked to rank 15 names on the world stage, William came first, closely followed by Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy. And although Harry didn’t take part in the Gallup poll, the results suggest his brother’s popularity remains intact despite his hurtful attacks on William.
For Harry, that poses a bit of a challenge. For a long time, he and Meghan could count on US support given the rapidly dwindling support in the UK. That’s why the duke, who traveled to Japan without his wife, showed a certain bravery on his first foreign excursion as an ex-king.
After his flight from Los Angeles, he looked unusually relaxed and cheerful as he made his way through the crowd of well-wishers. Perhaps aware that he would no longer be able to use His Royal Highness Prince Harry’s status, he chose not to take the VIP route – which would certainly have been available to navigate the crowds.
The smile, good humor and banter were reminiscent of old Harry before Meghan.
When a reporter asked him how he liked being in Japan, Harry replied, “Nice to see you again.”
In a section about Meghan, the royal website previously described how “Her Royal Highness worked as an actress after university”. It now says: “After studying, she worked as an actress.”
Netflix reportedly paid £88 million ($100 million) for the bombastic Harry and Meghan documentaries as part of a multi-year deal with the streaming giant
Compare that to the last time he and Meghan appeared together at a public event in New York in May. On that occasion, aides claimed the pair faced a “near-catastrophic chase” — a description that later dissipated when police reported “no clashes, subpoenas, injuries or arrests.”
In Tokyo, the difference was striking. Here was a cheerful Harry who, after attending a sports and philanthropy summit where, as is customary in Japan, he bowed respectfully to his audience, moved to say that he would like to live in Japan ‘if you wanted me’.
He even found time to gush about the food, praising “the most incredible Kobe steak.”
So, what’s up? Months of bad headlines and bad approval ratings are certainly a reason for this change in Harry’s demeanor.
The couple’s endless complaints about perceived or insignificant insults from the royal family and the media, as well as their sense of entitlement, have not only caused fatigue among former supporters. Crucially, they also pose a potential threat to what the Duke and Duchess cannot afford to lose: their earning potential.
Brand experts say the reason Meghan has largely stayed away from promoting his autobiography alongside her husband is that the negative publicity he’s been receiving poses a risk of contagion to her own future plans.
But her absence has also inevitably led to speculation about the state of her marriage. A string of recent appearances together, including a restaurant visit earlier this month to celebrate Meghan’s 42nd birthday, may have put some of those rumors to rest for now.
Next month, the couple are set to travel to Germany together to take part in the Invictus Games, the sporting event Harry created in 2014 for wounded and injured ex-servicemen.
As he reminded everyone in Tokyo, charity is important to him. “My life is charity – always has been and always will be,” he explained.
Many are wondering if the same Harry who was seen in Japan will appear alongside his wife at the Invictus opening ceremony in Dusseldorf.
That he’s free from the usual anxieties about Meghan that are so often apparent when they’re together could be a reason for the generally happy air he’s been displaying this week.
Another is his traveling companion, Argentinian Nacho Figueras. The handsome polo player, 46, was the perfect match for the prince. Before they flew on to Singapore on Thursday, he posted pictures of the two trying on women’s sunglasses on Instagram with the caption “Shopping for our women”.
You have to go back many years to see Harry so relaxed.
Prince William assumes the post of Colonel of the Army Air Corps, putting himself in command of Harry’s former unit, the 662nd Squadron. Pictured: Prince Harry at the Founders Day Parade at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in 2019
The Prince and Princess of Wales have each received three new military appointments from King Charles. Pictured: William and Kate on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the RAF centenary
The Prince and Princess of Wales will reportedly lead the tributes to Queen Elizabeth on the first anniversary of her death. Pictured: William and Kate with Her Majesty at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Another reason could be the presence of the man who hosted him in Japan, wealthy philanthropist Haruhisa Handa, an eccentric New Age guru and head of the Shinto religion World Mate.
Handa, the colorful heiress to a sake brewing fortune, is enjoying the public eye. He once placed an image of himself at the center of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper.
He boasts that in addition to his vocation as a priest, he is also an operatic baritone, a ballet dancer and a calligraphic artist, as well as an actor, golfer and poet whose artwork has been exhibited at the British Museum and who even conducted a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
The Guardian critic described a performance by Handa at a concert at St John’s Church, Smith Square, Westminster as ‘the worst musical performance I have ever heard in public’.
Even more controversial is that the portly Handa has also been involved in several scandals. In 1994, he settled two lawsuits alleging sexual harassment of female supporters out of court and had an allegation of tax evasion dismissed in the 1990s.
Interestingly, Harry isn’t the only king cultivated by Handa, who has written more than 200 self-help books preaching happiness through spirituality and material prosperity. He was received twice at Buckingham Palace by – who else? — Prince Andrew.
True, it wasn’t money that contributed to Harry’s apparent well-being – he was not paid for his performance and traveled at his own expense. But restoring the Sussexes’ tarnished reputation may take more than a charm offensive.
Gradually, her demotion resembles death by a thousand cuts.
From refusing to allow Harry to wear a military uniform at Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021 and the couple’s distant placement at last year’s platinum Thanksgiving Day celebrations, to the Duke’s seat with fellow royals at the funeral service The Sussexes have been increasingly marginalized in royal life since his father’s coronation in May.
Then last week came the glaring failure of senior members of the royal family to publicly wish Meghan a happy 42nd birthday, followed by the humiliating rewriting of the couple’s official biographies, underscoring their position as underage royals.
The question is whether Harry’s smiling appearance in Japan this week is an acceptance of this new reality and the first sign of a much-needed dose of humility.
Only time can tell.