Meghan Markle 'unlikely to impress Hollywood' with new plan to relaunch career

The Royal Family faces a totally unforeseen crisis after the events of the last month. This has been all the more challenging in the eye of ferocious media scrutiny.

King Charles has had the longest period in waiting in history. He seeks to make his mark as someone who can use his role to reach out as we see with the way he is sharing reports of his health.

He is also able to act as a convenor for issues such as the environment and inter-religious understanding in which he believes. The concern expressed by world leaders at the news that he has cancer, is indicative of the high regard in which he is held abroad.

The King shared his diagnosis of an enlarged prostate and, in so doing, heightened awareness of an illness which is frequently a matter of considerable sensitivity for men of advanced years. He is receiving treatment for cancer as an out-patient, and though he expects to be able to continue with his state duties, he will be unable to perform royal engagements.

The type of cancer which he suffers from has not been revealed, nor do we know the details of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery. This has led to a good deal of speculation, but members of the Royal Family have a right to privacy and it has been appreciated that there has been far more openness now than previously.

The pressure on Prince William, with Catherine recuperating, will be unrelenting. He took time off royal duties to be with her when in hospital, where she was for nearly a fortnight, indicating that her condition was serious.

It is not anticipated that she will carry out engagements until after Easter at the earliest, depending on medical advice. William has always prioritised his family and will ensure that he spends half term with his children this week.

The Waleses are pure gold as a team, but her long convalescence means that there may be many months before a royal tour abroad, which can be gruelling, is possible. In the circumstances it may be necessary that William undertakes solo trips. They had planned to visit Italy and the King and Queen were reportedly going to Canada.

These visits will undoubtedly be postponed. However, if the King cannot attend CHOGM, to be held in Samoa in October, followed by a tour of the Antipodes, William, as his heir, should surely deputise.

The issue of appointing Counsellors of State, who can stand in for the monarch if required, is settled, although there are no plans to use them. At present four are able to act, with non-working royals excluded. There is also the 1937 Regency Act to fall back on, if the King is unable to fulfil his duties.

Much attention will, inevitably, be paid to the activities of the Sussexes in the coming months. In his memoir, Spare, Harry was critical of the Queen. This, together with other damaging allegations, was a red line for the King and he responded by evicting the Sussexes from Frogmore Cottage, their base in Britain.

Harry’s visit to see his father was certainly dramatic. Once he was told the news, he made a transatlantic dash to see him. This is, of course, what a caring son would do and he wisely came solo, given Meghan’s unpopularity in Britain. Cancer changes everything and families, despite feuds, should surely pull together when it is a threat.

However, especially in retrospect, the optics of the trip were extremely strange. His half-hour with Charles was brief, though this may have been because he was tired after starting treatment. Harry then spent a night in a London hotel and then flew back to present an award in Las Vegas.

Their subsequent relaunch of their website has proved controversial and Meghan joining Lemonada Media is unlikely to impress Hollywood.

It was reported that he would have seen his estranged brother, although they have not spoken for many months. There was no contact as William, under considerable pressure himself, simply does not trust either Harry or Meghan after their damaging attacks on the royal family, including on Catherine.

He may well return to see his father, who has always arranged things so he would be accessible to him, as he did when he turned 75. It is to be hoped that there will be some form of reconciliation which would benefit everyone, but this will undoubtedly take time. It will be dependent on how the Sussexes behave, their criticism of the royal family must surely cease.

The review the Palace has been carrying out of royal patronages has not been completed. There is also the matter of who can bestow royal warrants. Since there are only four working royals under 70, the number of engagements they carry out is far less and Princess Anne has rightly rubbished the idea of a” slimmed down monarchy”.

Normally the Duke of York’s daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, could have helped with some engagements. However further revelations about Andrew’s links with the deceased paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have caused more embarrassment to the royal family. Two forthcoming television films will remind many of his infamous interview on Newsnight.

Andrew’s devoted ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who had a mastectomy in June, has skin cancer. Although she appeared with the royal family at church at Christmas for the first time in 30 years, her past when a working royal has not been forgotten. The York brand is still toxic.

The King hopes to be seen out and about as much as possible during his illness and plans to be in London this week. He knows that millions can identify with the struggles he is undoubtedly undergoing and it was important that he and the Queen were seen at church on Sunday. Fortunately, according to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the cancer was “caught early”.

Above all, he is fortunate to have the support of Queen Camilla. She is his soulmate and theirs is a true meeting of minds. He can also count on considerable public support both at home and internationally in the testing times in the coming months.

Richard Fitzwilliams is a royal commentator, film critic and public relations consultant. He has given 1,500 interviews on television. He was Editor of The International Who’s Who, the standard work of its type, from 1975 to 2001.