Harry and Meghan are set to cash in on their royal connections like never before. They seem to think we're all stupid - but their 'cunning' plan will never work: AMANDA PLATELL

Just when you thought the Sussex soap opera could not possibly squeeze out another plot twist, along comes this: Harry and Meghan are reportedly preparing for their first public engagement together since returning to Britain, and critics are already fuming that it looks suspiciously like a fresh attempt to monetise the very royal magic they once insisted they wanted to escape.

For some royal watchers, the timing is everything. After years of public grievance, televised revelations and carefully curated reinventions, the Duke and Duchess now appear to be edging back towards the one thing that has always guaranteed global attention: their royal cachet. And according to some commentators, they seem to think the public will simply forget the war they waged against the institution that made them famous.

That is where the accusation of a so-called “cunning plan” comes in. The theory, pushed by sceptics and columnists alike, is that Harry and Meghan know full well that their star power has always been strongest when it is tied, however loosely, to the House of Windsor. Hollywood polish may have brought headlines, but royalty brings fascination on a different scale altogether.

It is not hard to see why this latest appearance is provoking such heated reaction. Ever since they stepped back as working royals, the Sussexes have walked a complicated line: denouncing palace life on the one hand, while continuing to trade on titles, mystique and the endless public appetite for royal drama on the other. To their critics, it has looked less like independence and more like selective separation.

Harry, in particular, has never quite escaped the contradictions. He has spoken movingly about pain, loss and feeling trapped by the system, yet he also knows better than anyone that the system still opens doors. Meghan, meanwhile, remains a lightning rod in the culture wars, admired by supporters as a modern disruptor and condemned by detractors as a master strategist who understands exactly how to keep the royal link alive while publicly distancing herself from it.

According to reports, this joint engagement is being seen in some quarters as a test of the brand’s remaining pulling power. Can they still command the same feverish interest when appearing together on British soil? Can they remind the world of the glamour, the intrigue and the emotional charge that once made them the monarchy’s most talked-about double act?

Yet there is also a strong argument that the public is no longer so easily dazzled. The sense of novelty has faded. The shocks have worn thin. Even some former sympathisers appear weary of what they see as a cycle of complaint followed by another highly visible venture that benefits from their royal status.

That, perhaps, is why some believe any attempt to “cash in” more aggressively on those connections may backfire. Britain has a long memory when it comes to the monarchy, and royal audiences can be surprisingly unforgiving when they sense hypocrisy. If Harry and Meghan are indeed trying to repackage themselves through a softer, more regal-looking public return, they may find that scepticism arrives before applause.

Still, it would be foolish to underestimate them. They remain internationally famous, endlessly photogenic and capable of dominating the news cycle with even the briefest appearance. Fans will argue that they are simply living their lives, supporting causes they care about and enduring a level of scrutiny few could tolerate.

But for those who believe they have spent years criticising the Crown while quietly benefiting from its glittering halo, this latest move will only reinforce the suspicion that the Sussexes want all the prestige of royalty without any of the restraint.

So is this a genuine public re-emergence with purpose, or just another polished attempt to turn palace-adjacent glamour into personal capital? And if Harry and Meghan are leaning on their royal connections more than ever, do you think the public will buy it this time?