By Molly Claire Goddard
8:32am PST, Jan 30, 2026
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According to royal writer
Virginia Blackburn, Princess Diana's public battles with The Firm should teach
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle how to handle reconciliation. "Since Harry is constantly going on about his mother [Diana], perhaps he might take heed of the one lesson of her life that is often overlooked in the wake of her tragic, fatal accident," she wrote for
Daily Express. "You can't take on the royal family and win."
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Virginia Blackburn also accused
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of trying to get back into the royal fold to boost their brand. "However many pots of jam Meghan has or has not managed to flog, this seems to me like it's all about money," she wrote. "And that means reminding everyone that not only are they still members of the royal family but that, unbelievably, their children are sixth and seventh in line to the throne."
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While a reunion with the royal family would be heartwarming, Virginia Blackburn questioned if
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle actually want to mend fences. "Give me a break. This is a woman [Meghan] who has an estranged and strained relationship with her own ailing father [
Thomas Markle Sr.] despite the fact he's in his 80s and has had a leg amputated," she wrote. "Has Harry suddenly rediscovered his love for the country that nourished him so protectively and forgave him all manner of indiscretion because we never forgot the little boy who'd lost his mum [Princess Diana]? I'm guessing not."
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Unlike
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Virginia Blackburn believes there's a reason why England favors
Prince William and
Kate Middleton. "All the drama that surrounds them [Harry and Meghan] is constantly compared to the mercifully quieter existence of William and Kate, but which of the two couples does this country genuinely respect?" she questioned. "The people who whinge [complain] constantly about their gilded existence or those people who get out there in all weathers to perform their duties day after day after day? Would you curtsy to Meghan? Nothing on earth would induce me to do so but I might well to her sister-in-law."
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Despite
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle initially receiving significant public support when they first got together, the couple has squandered it. "What all this seems to be ignoring is that the rest of us have well and truly got the measure of the Montecito duo [Harry and Meghan] can't stand the sight of them," Virginia Blackburn wrote. "The pair were given everything this country [England] has to offer and threw it all back in our face. And given all they have said about Britain, why on earth do they want to return? Is it about family solidarity?"
