The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on vacation this summer (Photo: Meghan’s Instagram feed)

Prince Harry turns 42 on Tuesday, September 15, and it’s fair to say that his return to the home of his birth is not going exactly as planned.

“The message was clear. Give Harry and Meghan an inch in Winchester and they’ll take a royal mile in Edinburgh,” wrote Jan Moir of the Daily Mail. That’s one of the less savage takes on the Sussexes.

On Saturday, Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were the focus of the opening skit on the UK version of Saturday Night Live as they inform King Charles III and Queen Camilla that they are moving back to the United Kingdom and need some help.

Father: “Don’t tell me you spent all your Netflix money already”

Son: “Daddy, it was only $60 million, how long was it meant to last? I’m not asking for much, just a duchy or two. “

Perhaps even more biting is when Meghan gifts a piece of homemade ice to Queen Camilla, and offers to give her the recipe.

Whole segment on official SNL UK YouTube channel:

If the commentary is biting, then the public attitudes toward the couple are unchanging. Recently, a huge YouGov poll shows that only 16 percent would like the couple to return to being working royals *at some point.* The low polling was similar across all age groups and political affiliations and marks a continuation of the low popularity for the couple, who are usually only above Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the bottom of royal popularity polls.

Adding to his problems, Prince Harry still hasn’t received the taxpayer-funded police security to which he believes he is entitled, though that may be coming as there is now a new review into the security risks of both him and his wife.

Their need to have the last word was on display last week when the head of Uganda’s military suddenly announced that his nation was withdrawing from the Birmingham Games out of loyalty to the King, and to avoid the “Harry & Meghan nonsense.”

The Sussexes laid the blame for that decision on the palace, telling ITV News: “Intended or unintended, this is clearly a consequence of the Lord Chamberlain’s guidance regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that was rushed out without consultation on Monday. Sadly, the only people who will suffer are the Invictus Games competitors.”

Today, Uganda changed its mind after the Chief of Defence Forces had a chat with the King’s private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, during which Sir Clive Alderton “said King Charles III has no problem with Uganda’s participation in the Invictus Games.” For those wondering about such an intervention, this consultation of the palace is exactly what the Lord Chamberlain’s guidance letter asked of anyone needing clarity on how to deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

So the guidance letter worked, at least from the palace point of view.

There are signs from the Sussex side that they are going to push and push against any perceived strictures of the Sandringham agreement of 2020, which banned them from using their royal status for profit, after being called “private individuals” in last week’s guidance, not “public figures.”