Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reportedly falling into "irrelevance" right "in front of our very eyes" as the pair are said to be in a race to reconcile with the royals.
"Time is running out to come back while his father is still King," royal expert Richard Eden ominously told an outlet.
The commentator added: "If Harry wants to come back at any stage, he needs to do it while his father [Charles III] is still King."
In the British monarchy, a change of monarch only occurs when a sovereign dies, and their heir then immediately becomes the new king or queen. Eden's remarks implied that Harry and Meghan would likely stand no chance of reconciling with the royals when Prince William accedes to the throne.
"I really think that when Prince William is King, I can’t see him letting Harry come back and have a role again," Eden continued when assessing the situation in a King William royal court. "They are irrelevant now, they are just not wanted as part of the monarchy, maybe there could be some radical change but it’s hard to see."
This follows an insight from royal author Tom Quinn who told a publication in March: "Both Meghan and Harry still hope that at some point they might be asked back to become working royals on their own terms — it’s a rapidly shrinking possibility, but the couple have talked about this at length and the fact that senior royal numbers are seriously down at the moment has rekindled their hopes."
Quinn then observed: "As I understand it from palace contacts, they are kidding themselves if they think they will be invited back in any way."
Some observers feel that with his cancer battle still raging, the 75-year-old monarch should break tradition and resign in favor of his heir, William.
"I think that King Charles should abdicate, and I think that Prince William should step up and do the job, purely because I would love to see the reaction of Harry and Meghan," journalist Peter Lloyd told GB News' Mark Dolan in January.
Based on the traditions of the British monarchy, and how intertwined life service of the monarch is worded in Parliament, it is highly unlikely King Charles III will abdicate like Denmark's Queen Margrethe. This means he will die in his role, just as Queen Elizabeth II did, and only then will William become the monarch and Catherine his Queen Consort.
As fifth in line, it is doubtful Harry will ever become monarch and Meghan his queen. The Duke of Sussex and Prince of Wales have reportedly not spoken since September 2022, which was also the last time Meghan was in Britain.
The New York Post reported on Eden's remarks.