One thing the Harry and Meghan saga will never be short of is plot twists. So news that the first couple of Montecito will soon rock up to re-bond with Britain is what the Greeks would have called a “peripeteia” – a change of circumstances or fate so dramatic that we might call it a 180-degree turn.

This is, however, the beginning of a new Odyssey, not its conclusion, and the odds are that it will encounter some areas of coolness. Harry will be getting a welcome on terms which have been agreed over the summer by his father. His relationship with his brother William, the Prince of Wales, is another matter altogether.

The breakthrough is a result of the monarch’s advanced age and recent illness, the Sussexes’ relentless drive to stay relevant after a lean period in the US, and a tentatively successful meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla earlier this summer. The Palace is keen to underline that this is a private decision by the Sussexes and that the roles they relinquished as working royals will not change.

But on some level, Charles is accepting the urging I know that some close friends have offered. To have Harry as estranged as he was at the Queen’s funeral, and then the former Prince Andrew’s fall from grace, has been awful for the family and the legacy of a turbulent decade – and now is the time to begin to mend fences.

Assuming that Harry and Meghan act in good faith when they set up a home and send their children to school here – and top-notch schooling is a powerful driver for Meghan, who is a strong believer in education – the return should start off in a cheerful atmosphere, showcasing continuity across the generations.

But there is a serious sticking point – and that is that the heir to the throne’s personal approach, as well as the dynamics of his situation as the next-gen royal leader,........

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