The Duke of Sussex asks former aides to help him plan his RETURN from US exile in the first stage of his ‘rehabilitation’ strategy – the prince’s friends promise to help smooth the way back in, calling it ‘Operation Bring Harry In From The Cold’

Prince Harry has sought advice from trusted former aides in Britain on how to plan a return from exile in the United States, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Sources said the Duke of Sussex is consulting people “from his former life” as a working royal after reportedly becoming dissatisfied with advice from US-based image experts.

The proposals mark the first stage of a strategy to “rehabilitate” Harry, which would involve him spending more time in the UK to repair his relationship with his father and potentially begin a partial return to royalty.

Sources stressed that Harry and Meghan, who have spent the past four years living in self-imposed exile in California with their two children, are not seeking a permanent return.

This newspaper can also reveal that the couple have split from another US PR adviser. Christine Weil Schirmer joined the Sussexes in 2020 as head of communications but quietly left at the end of last year.

She is the 10th member of staff to leave the couple in three years and last month took a job at PR giant Brunswick, advising clients on reputation management.

Last month, it emerged that the Sussexes’ chief of staff, Josh Kettler, had suddenly quit his job after just three months.

“Harry is distancing himself from all Hollywood publicists and is seeking advice from his old friends and associates,” a source said.

“It’s clear that he’s thinking, ‘I need to do something different because what I’m doing is clearly not working.’ In short, he’s rethinking the way he’s doing things.”

Representatives for Prince Harry did not respond to a request for comment last night.

Ending his rancorous feud with his brother William is not seen as a realistic goal, but last week this newspaper revealed the King may be open to healing the rift with his younger son and had consulted with religious leaders as he explores the nature of forgiveness.

At least one of the advisers contacted by Harry is a trusted “old-school” figure, known for his loyalty and discretion.

A friend has already come up with a strategy for how Harry could begin moving in UK circles again, including carrying out “very low-key royal duties”, although the duke is said to be open to ideas from many sources.

A source said the friend “believes that if Harry returns to the UK quietly, without publicity and without attending very mundane events, he could prove himself and win back the British public.”

He would have to accept, however, that he might be forced to cut ribbons for a long period, but that would give him a new purpose to work with.

But the source said that would only happen “if certain members of the family could find it in themselves to allow it.”

Meanwhile, the duke, who turns 40 this month, has sent conciliatory messages to several old friends in the UK via WhatsApp. They are ready and willing to help him smooth his way back to Britain, with some referring to their task as “Operation to bring Harry in from the cold.”

Friends of the duke hope that the duke’s former private secretary, Edward Lane Fox, will be the one to lead the return. One said: “If anyone can do it, it’s Edward. The last time I saw him, I felt like grabbing him by the shoulders and saying, ‘Ed, please bring our boy home’. Now is the right time.”

Asked about helping Harry, Mr Lane Fox told this newspaper last night: “It’s not something I have a view on, I’m afraid.”

Although there are fears that Harry’s relationship with his brother has been irreparably damaged, the duke seems less bitter of late.

To the relief of his family, he has decided not to update his bitter memoir, Spare, for its paperback edition, due out on October 24, and will not give interviews to publicise it.