Could Princess Diana's 60th birthday see the return on both Meghan and Harry to the UK? Photo / Getty Images
OPINION:
Poor old Diana, Princess of Wales. Throughout her all-too-brief life, her major birthdays were generally a bit of a fiasco.
By the time Lady Diana celebrated her 18th birthday, grand coming-out balls were on the nose and she was living in London drifting between cleaning houses and childcare work. When she marked her 21st, she was the Princess of Wales and a mother to baby Prince William, but her marriage was already deeply fractured and she was struggling with bulimia and post-natal depression.
Her 30th birthday reportedly devolved into a round of furtive media briefing, with the by-then separated Waleses trying to seed different narratives. (She, via Andrew Morton in the Times, said her errant husband would be leaving her on her own on the big day; his camp put it out that he had offered to throw his wife a party but she had turned the offer down.)
After her death, what would have been Diana's 50th saw none other than venerable Newsweek highly controversially age her for a photoshopped cover image featuring her and new daughter-in-law Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. It went down about as well as a gluten-free scone at a Buckingham Palace garden party.
Now, in less than two weeks, on July 1, had she lived, Diana would have turned 60 years old.
Already the milestone is shaping up to be one of the most fraught, highwire royal events since the Queen Mother found herself in the same draughty room as her nemesis Wallis Simpson.
The touching event planned to mark the Diana anniversary faces the possibility of being overwhelmed by the geyser of dramaaaaahhhh that seems to erupt whenever her son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex enter the picture.
This year July 1 will see Princes William and Harry reunited in the gardens of Kensington Palace for the unveiling of the commemorative statue they commissioned way back in 2017 of their dear mama. (You know, back when "royal family" was not a synonym for "semi-regular displays of public rancour" or "the lingering whiff of racism".)
Four years ago, the brothers tasked sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley with creating a fitting tribute to the princess, a woman whose maverick approach to HRH-dom irrevocably changed the face of the monarchy. (He's had some practice: His portrait of the Queen is on the back of British coins.)
The bickering Wales siblings are slated to reveal this work together and will reportedly be giving separate speeches to mark the occasion, which in and of itself is telling about the state of their relationship
Given that open hostility has long since broken out between the two men, the frenzy and anticipation around the big day is already building.
The chance for the press to watch as the men stand side-by side after months of the younger royal taking potshots at the palace while safely tucked away behind his Montecito mansion's towering (I'm guessing) gates is sensational enough to cheer up even the most beleaguered Fleet St editor.
However, that fraternal froideur would only end up a side-show event if – and it's a big "if" - Harry is joined by his wife and co-palace provocateur Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
This week there has been renewed speculation that Meghan might take a quick break from her maternity leave to join her husband for his trans-Atlantic flit for the engagement. (If nothing else, the man could probably use some serious moral support and a friendly face.)
While recent reports have denied she would be making the trip, there is precedent here for her going out of her way to support her nearest and dearest while she has a very young bub. Barely a month after welcoming her son Archie in 2019 Meghan re-emerged, briefly, in public to take part in Trooping the Colour, an important event on the Windsor family calendar. Then, in September the same year, she flew to New York when her baby was only 4 months old for only a few days to take her place courtside to cheer on good friend Serena Williams.
Given Harry and Meghan's resources, if she wanted to make the jaunt she could surely, Covid restrictions permitting, jet in and out of London in 24 hours.
Should the Duchess take part in the event, her return to London 15 months after the Sussexes' final round of official engagements in March last year would totally and utterly eclipse news coverage.
Given that the palace has been hard at work on selling a "it's business as usual!" line via carefully choreographed engagements and media appearances, Meghan's re-entry stage left would be a devastating distraction and would threaten to derail their attempts to refocus attention on the plucky good works of the monarchy.
There is far, far more at stake here than just a charged family moment.
For the former Suits star, appearing beside her husband could be a strategically savvy move. If she were to be there, then it would make sense that Kate was there too, thus reuniting the Fab Four while the press pack gleefully watched on.
If this very public homecoming came to pass, the whole dog-and-pony show could be sold as a healing journey with Harry and Meghan being slowly welcomed back into the frosty bosom of his family; the beginning of a tentative line being drawn under the whole sorry chapter.
The Sussexes would come across as seemingly uncowed by the turmoil or his family's stilted pushback to their Oprah interview.
Backbones straight, chins up there could be a certain air of triumph to the scene. The takeaway would be that the prime time outpouring had not proven fatal in terms of their ties to the royal house. All – or at least some – had been forgiven.
For both sides, this outing would go incredibly far in terms of quashing the rift narrative. (OK, yes, the very same rift narrative the Sussexes themselves only inflamed via their Oprah Winfrey barrage.)
Assuming that on the big day it wasn't all sour faces and tight smiles (and that they somehow managed not to collectively radiate the sort of misery that only enforced family reunions can trigger) the images of the foursome would be a powerful palate cleanser after all the animosity of recent months.
For Meghan, the statue unveiling would also represent a potent chance to align herself with her mother-in-law's memory. The two women, after all, share many similarities.
Both have found themselves in the unenviable position of going head-to-head with the palace's Men in Grey; both approached their royal careers with spirited determination and a pioneering bent; and both, despite their best intentions, ultimately found themselves on the outside of the palace looking back in.
The opportunity that this Kensington Palace event represents is for Meghan to forge an unbreakable, lifelong association in the public imagination between herself and Diana, that is, to be anointed as the (or one of the) natural heirs to her powerful legacy.
Leaving aside the personal, emotional meaning of that psychic linkage for her and her husband, it would also be PR manna from heaven; handy given that the Sussexes are in the midst of cementing their Stateside brand and need to earn a crust.
That said, there is a clear downside to Meghan returning to Blighty. After the slew of highly damaging claims they have made about the royal house this year, the duo could face a decidedly frosty – verging on the Arctic – reception.
Likewise, the British public has made its feelings known. Polling done in late April found the popularity had fallen to their lowest level ever.
While the Duchess' debut children's book, The Bench, has hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list for children's picture books this week, in the UK it is not even in the top 100 best-selling books or children's books on Amazon.
Also, Meghan miraculously reappearing in London for this photo op could look like a PR ploy, something the Sussexes would surely be sensitive to avoid.
Still, would they consider that a calculated gamble that given the possible benefits could outweigh the risk?
If Diana was still alive, she would likely be dismayed that her beloved boys are now divided by animus, a continent, an ocean and several hours of TV interviews.
But, what unites William, Harry and their mother though is that all three have defined themselves by their drive to make a difference and the lasting impact they have all had on the royal family – for better and worse.
Daniela Elser is a royal expert and a writer with more than 15 years experience working with a number of Australia's leading media titles.