However, it appears they have realized that their tactics are no longer convincing, especially since the British royal family has distanced themselves further.
We haven't witnessed any meetings similar to the one the Queen had with Harry, which prompted him to promptly engage in an interview with an American anchor.
Charles and William have consistently leaked the information that they won't be present in London when Harry visits, making sure to make it known that they won't be meeting him.
Personally, I don't believe that prince or princess titles hold much significance without the full array of royal privileges. It's the overall royal infrastructure that gives weight to those titles, and in this case, Harry and Meghan lack that. People are unlikely to be concerned about someone being a prince or princess when they didn't grow up in a royal environment.
The Sussex children have virtually no connection to the British royal family or royalty in general. They don't partake in events like Trooping the Colour, nor do they enjoy the support of the royal machinery, which makes them appear like aspiring royalty, akin to the Greeks.
In contrast, people are invested in the children of William and Kate because they were born and are growing up as princes and princesses. They participate in Trooping the Colour and engage in some minor engagements, with the full backing of the royalty machinery.
Now, I have a theory about the "will they, won't they" drama surrounding the coronation. If you recall, from January through April, we were bombarded with PR statements back and forth about whether Harry and Meghan would attend. We know that Meghan desired to have their children involved, with a carriage ride and a balcony appearance during the coronation.
What I believe happened is that Charles informed them they could attend the coronation but without the children, carriage rides, or tiaras. However, he did promise a balcony appearance alongside them and the kids. When Meghan discovered that she wouldn't receive the same honors as Catherine, such as wearing a cape, she insisted on equal treatment, which she did not receive. As a result, she decided not to attend.
At one point, I had a strong feeling that Charles was planning to keep Harry and Meghan with the non-working royals during the coronation. However, he promised them the complete royal treatment for Trooping the Colour. However, something occurred between March and now that caused Charles to distance himself significantly from Harry. In fact, Charles even leaked that he didn't invite Harry to Trooping the Colour.
Looking ahead, it seems that even 20 years from now, Harry and Meghan will continue building their life overseas, relinquishing their titles and being referred to as Harry and his wife. King Charles might publicly announce that his other son is now a private citizen and will not participate in any royal functions in an official capacity. However, they would still be welcome to join the family gatherings without the presence of the press or paparazzi.
One commenter astutely remarked that while this situation may be painful for Charles, it raises questions about how close he truly was with Harry. Charles was incredibly busy as Prince of Wales and now has even more demands on his time as the future king. It wouldn't surprise me if he rarely had private interactions with Harry over the past 15 years due to their hectic schedules. Therefore, excluding Harry from these events might not be as difficult for Charles as many assume.
Regarding the "will they, won't they" stories, I believe the coronation was the breaking point for Charles. Numerous reports suggest that changes are imminent, and I suspect one of these changes involves his PR team preempting negative press by leaking statements like this one.
Even if Harry and Meghan were to attend Trooping the Colour, I don't think Charles intended to provide them with a carriage ride. The balcony appearance is now exclusively reserved for working royals, and despite his past missteps, Charles has firmly established this. Notably, even Louise and James did not attend Trooping the Colour, possibly due to exams.
During the negotiations surrounding the coronation, the British royal family seemingly made it clear that Harry and Meghan would receive treatment similar to other non-working royals. It was quite shocking to witness Harry, as the second son of the king, arriving at Westminster Abbey alongside his cousins, only to be positioned behind the Gloucesters and partially obscured by a feather.
I don't believe that the Sussex children would have ever become working royals, even if Harry and Meghan had been the epitome of perfection, never making a single mistake. They are grandchildren of a monarch, and considering that the reign of the current monarch won't be exceptionally long in the grand scheme of things, neither Beatrice nor Eugenie are working royals, despite Andrew's persistent efforts to change that.
I highly doubt that Archie and Lilibet would have had a wedding as grand as Eugenie's. Even when the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra got married, they had a lavish wedding, despite being grandchildren of a monarch who had been deceased for several decades by that point. Even Edward's wedding was on a similar scale to what was deemed appropriate for the son of the reigning queen. In the future, I believe that only the direct heir to the throne will have a grand wedding in London, while Charlotte and Louis might opt for a more intimate ceremony at St. George's Chapel, similar to Harry and Meghan's. There's no way Archie and Lilibet would have had a wedding only slightly smaller than Charles and Louis.
Perhaps they would have had a wedding like Gabriella Kingston, but I doubt they would even have that now. It's also possible that Archie and Lilibet wouldn't even want to get married in England. They have spent most of their lives in the United States, and their British identity will likely become less prominent as they grow older.
The unfortunate part about the Sussex children is that they might come across as pretentious for using their titles after being raised in the United States. I can envision a scenario where they visit the UK later in life and proclaim, "I'm a princess/prince of the UK, and you need to curtsy to me," only to face criticism and backlash from the public.
As for Charles, I don't think he wanted the press to create a reconciliation narrative during his first Trooping the Colour as king. It seems that the British royal family has been intentionally avoiding any actions that would facilitate a reunion with Harry and Meghan. Either Harry and Meghan are gradually giving up or they are preoccupied with the recent news of Spotify terminating their contract.
The more I ponder, the more I'm convinced that the Sussexes didn't engage in the "will they, won't they" PR game for Trooping the Colour because they were preoccupied with salvaging their existing deals with Spotify and Netflix. I believe they were devising a PR strategy that would render their firing from Spotify irrelevant, as they must have known it was imminent even before Trooping the Colour.
This speculation could very well be true. Megan and Harry had no time to concern themselves with Trooping the Colour because they were about to lose millions in income. It makes me wonder if Harry and Meghan had to repay Spotify for underperforming. Another reason I believe that Harry and Meghan were going to be treated differently at some point is Megan's consecutive victories in March. She had achieved something and was quite boastful about it.
