AS Prince Harry approaches his milestone 40th birthday, he appears to be grappling with a profound internal conflict.

His decision to back his wife through ‘Megxit’ has thrust him into the glittering, self-promotional cesspool of Hollywood and American consumerism, a world starkly at odds with the values he was raised with.

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His grandmother’s Britain – steeped in duty, service, and the stoic resolve to simply “get on with it” – could not stand in sharper contrast to the modern, media-driven landscape in which Meghan Markle thrives.

It has left the Duke of Sussex struggling to reconcile this clash of worlds, unable to fluidly adapt or reinvent himself like his actress wife.

Perhaps, then, it is no surprise to read reports over recent days that Harry yearns to spend more time in the UK and may even dream of staging a British comeback.

Frankly, the disloyal duke does not deserve to be rewarded with a restoration for the unforgivable trouble he has caused.

If anything, the Sussexes’ remaining titles should be removed to prevent any further malicious profiteering from the association with the institution they have sought to defame.

Regardless, pals of the 39-year-old have been at pains to point out that there is no “blueprint” for plans to return home. And indeed, it would be a surprise if there was.

For while Harry quickly whisked Meghan off to the US as soon as she tired of royal duties, the terminally ambitious duchess shows no signs of returning the favour and ripping up their Hollywood life.

In fact, she is doubling down.

In a recent New York Times interview, Meghan revealed her latest eye-rolling reinvention: as a brand influencer and investor.

She said: “Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting.

“That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do.”

Meghan’s evolution from admired royal public servant to common brand promoter should come as no shock – after all, she is an actress readily able to adapt.

Of course, it’s all wrapped in the pretty bow of encouraging diverse and ethical entrepreneurs. That’s the Hollywood way and Markle is a product of her environment.

She knows how to play the publicity game. The problem is that Harry does not.

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Plummeting popularity

The Sussexes’ public image in America has plummeted since their initial move to California, primarily due to the duke’s toxic attacks on his family and litany of hypocrisies.

Nor have we taken kindly to a resident British prince wading into American politics, criticising our constitutional and legal framework, such as his intrusion into the First Amendment regarding free speech.

Then there was the wincing backlash Harry received earlier this summer regarding his receipt of fallen Army hero Pat Tillman’s Award for Service at the 2024 ESPY Awards.

So Harry’s American dream has been fraught with unwelcome fiascos.

The anxieties of his father’s health situation and the generally strained relationship with his family would weigh heavily on any child.

The professional failures and ridicule in Hollywood surely add to Harry’s anguish, as must the nostalgia and isolation from estranged family, friends, and surroundings.

With no clear blueprint for how to navigate his way back, he faces an uncertain future, tangled in a Hollywood web that collides with his sense of self and purpose of his birthright.

It is torturous to watch the struggle.

Let us hope that in the second part of his life, he may find some peace and spare his family – and the rest of us – the details of any future eye-rolling dramas.

Lee Cohen, an author and royal commentator, was adviser on Great Britain to the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee