Harry just took part in the most ridiculous royal charade yet – Charles must be raging

Detailed summary

It is hard to believe Harry and Meghan haven't grasped the potential for damage in their new Firm-adjacent position. The likelier explanation is that they don't care, and are…

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's latest exploit saw them appear in front of the European Parliament to speak about online child safety this week. The Duke of Sussex delivered the keynote address alone, with Meghan "not strong enough emotionally" to pitch in as planned after her father was charged with possession of child abuse material, reports suggest.

In Brussels, the couple sat through formal addresses from Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, first vice-chair of the Child Rights Intergroup. It was unmistakably a platform of the kind usually reserved for working royals.

No one can deny the worthiness of the cause – but the outing, the duke and duchess's first engagement abroad since returning to the UK in August, was jarringly at odds with King Charles's position that they should be considered "private citizens" with no royal privileges.

Within weeks of their move back from the US, Harry and Meghan publicly pushed back, seeking recognition instead as "public figures". The distinction was revealing at the time, and the intervening weeks have made their intentions crystal clear.

This comes in spite of Harry's clear disdain for the Firm in recent years. He pulled no punches in his memoir Spare after upping sticks to California, unleashing a torrent of criticism at the King, Prince William, Princess Kate and Queen Camilla, with not even Queen Elizabeth II or members of the royal household escaping unscathed.

Yet it's more evident that ever that Harry and Meghan, for all intents and purposes, consider themselves "half in, half out" of the Royal Family – a role combining official duties with commercial interests in a way expressly forbidden by the late Queen and reiterated by the King.

It was one thing when they blended philanthropy, such as last year's installation highlighting children's digital safety, with promotional work from the US. It is another now that they are based in Britain.

While it may be just one part of the picture, it can't…

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