Prince George’s era could give the British monarchy the opportunity for a reset—and give the young royal a chance to take the institution in his own direction.

One Newsweek reader has asked whether George, who is now 10 years old, could bring back his cousins, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, the children or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as working royals.

Prince William’s relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been bordering on nonexistent for years now, with Harry acknowledging in January 2023 that they no longer spoke.

There is no sign that relationship will thaw any time soon but it is hypothetically possible the younger royals might broker peace where their parents had failed.

Prince George in a state coach during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, in London, England, on May 6, 2023. A Newsweek reader asked whether George would be able to bring Prince… P van Katwijk/Getty Images

A Newsweek reader asked: “My question is, when Prince George becomes king (probably many, many years from now), could he allow Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to return to England as working royals with titles given by Prince George although they’ll probably reside in America until they are adults?

“Of course, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will likely produce heirs.”

George will not have any right to actually call the shots until he is king, which will likely be many years from now, potentially as many as 50 to 60 years if William’s reign continues into his 90s, as Queen Elizabeth II’s did. That is of course assuming neither William nor George turns down the opportunity to wear the crown.

Until that time, no matter how high-profile or successful George is, his father will likely still be the one taking the decisions.

However, once George is king, there is no particular reason why he could not invite Archie and Lilibet to return. After all, they remain in the line of succession.

They are in fact sixth and seventh in line respectively, which is relatively high up, substantially above Prince Edward, who is still a working royal.

By this point, it is highly likely they will have dropped behind any children of Prince George, or of his brother and sister Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

But Archie and Lilibet would not need to have a particularly high position in order to serve the monarch, should the future King George request it.

Likelihood of Archie and Lilibet Returning

Of course the whole question is heavily dependent on Prince George wanting to ask and Archie and Lilibet wanting to accept. They will also likely be in their 50s by the time the prospect arises.

There is no clear indication why either side would want it, but the world will be a different place by then. So it is impossible to say one way or another whether there may come a time when it makes sense.

After all, we do not know what kind of adults Archie and Lilibet will grow up to be. They could go on to become film stars, reach the autumn of their careers and yearn for something new.

The monarchy might offer them a level of institutional gravitas not available to them elsewhere.

Perhaps George will find himself in a situation similar to King Charles III’s current one, light on high-profile working family members to cover the number of engagements required.

And maybe Archie and Lilibet would bring Hollywood glamour and sparkle, freshening up his existing roster.

It is impossible to say, as 50 years is such a long way away, but it is hypothetically possible, however unlikely.

What It Would Mean

Archie and Lilibet would likely have to move to Britain since they would have a private office based at one of the royal residences, Kensington Palace being a likely candidate.

They might be offered a Metropolitan Police team and be funded by the Duchy of Lancaster, a quasi-public, quasi-private property estate that belongs to the sovereign of the United Kingdom while they hold the office. So many years will have passed, however, that any number of changes could have been made.

Both Archie and Lilibet are entitled to dual nationality, though not becoming a British citizen did not stop Meghan from being a working royal or representing the crown.

Ultimately, even if there were a procedural obstacle of some kind, Parliament could simply pass a new law to remove that obstacle if the government of the day wanted to facilitate such a move.

Current relations between Prince William and Princess Kate on the one hand and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the other are so bad that the chances in reality remain vanishingly small.

Would Meghan bring her children up to see the monarchy the way she likely does, as a coldhearted institution that failed to protect her when the tabloid press was targeting her?

And would William bring George up to see Harry and Meghan the way he might, as the royals who betrayed the family, turned their backs on their duty and sold secrets to Netflix and Penguin Random House?