Looking at pictures of Harry and Meghan’s recent visit to Jordan (just before Israel and the US started bombing nearby Iran), I was reminded how good they are at (that bit of) being royal.
Invited by the World Health Organization, they radiated sympathy and good cheer with a dose of Hollywood glamour.
Playing football with kids: check. Holding hands with victims: check. Visiting a refugee camp for displaced Syrians, supporting a centre for recovering addicts and writing Post-it messages of encouragement: check, check, check.
Meghan channelled some of her 'dress-down, caring Princess Diana' wardrobe in khaki, beige and black.
Yes, I know they’re no longer working royals, so this was not an official trip. But it’s undeniable that Harry, especially, is very good at this.
He connects with new people quickly, empathises consistently and finds it easy to communicate with those who’ve suffered great pain - authentically.
I know Harry and Meghan rather sold their family down the river with Oprah, Netflix and Spare, but it’s hard to deny that they are great in this kind of public tour.
After Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s fall from grace and the tarnishing effect on his poor daughters, royals outside the scandal have never felt so welcome.
While the King, Queen, William and Catherine were forced to stop much of their royal travel (and engagements) due to cancer and ill health, Harry and Meghan visited Colombia, Nigeria and Canada - and they’re off to Australia next month.
Their Jordan trip drew attention to the WHO’s work in helping refugees - as well as the non-profit World Central Kitchen, where they’ve donated their own money.
'Harry would be given a new lease of life'
We can all scoff that it’s about them - but Harry does want to use their platform for good. I’m told he wakes up every morning and says: ‘What can I do to help?’
If they were still part of the Firm, they could visit women’s shelters and charities that combat sex trafficking - which would garner far more column inches than poor Camilla, who’s been working in this area for ages. (Her recent speech on the abhorrent violence against women for International Women’s Day was seen as a thinly veiled attempt to show the Crown is taking all this seriously.)
I have an idea. Meghan clearly wants to do the ‘girl boss’ thing, sell her flower sprinkles to the world, and never return to royal life (while keeping the titles, naturally…). But why can’t we have Harry back? He would be given a new lease of life and be utterly brilliant, just when the royals need it.
More from the palace
Preparations are under way for the King and Queen’s state visit to the US in April - but should they go? The King seems to be our only 'Trump card' with the US president in what feels like an increasingly fragile and insecure world.
Some politicians have called for the visit to be cancelled, but I think they have to go - even if the visit is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Americans getting rid of the Royal Family to become a republic.
This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.
