Prince Harry Should Learn From Prince Edward And 'Not Compete With The Monarch': Royal Biographer

Prince Harry should follow the example of Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, when it comes to serving the monarchy, a royal biographer has suggested.

Prince Harry has been estranged from the other members of the royal family since he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties and moved to California in 2020. The couple reunited with the royals last month for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Sept. 8, but it's been reported that their relationship with the members of the firm remains strained.

In a new interview, royal biographer Hugo Vickers suggested that Prince Harry can learn a few things from Prince Edward, who had teamed up with Vickers to write his recently released memoir "A Royal Life."

"The press, as you can imagine, have said this book was clearly written as a sort of rebuke to Prince Harry – well, no, it wasn't. We all understand that's what people are going to say, and the duke understands that too," Vickers told Fox News Digital of the Duke of Kent's memoir, which explores how he supported the Queen during her 70-year reign.

"But there are [some] lessons Harry can learn from the duke," the biographer explained. "One is not to compete with the monarch. The royal family is there to support the monarch. They're not there to do their own thing. You work with the system... You are working for the Commonwealth and the nation, not for yourself. [The Duke and Duchess of Sussex] are setting up their own enterprises and things like that. And perhaps it works well for them. But a member of the royal family serves the system that they're in. Not themselves."

Vickers also shared his thoughts on Prince Harry writing a memoir, suggesting that the Duke of Sussex may not get much from the book deal. It was announced last year that the book was expected to be released in late 2022, but no new developments have been shared since then.

The author suggested that the publisher won't give Prince Harry the entire amount it offered for his memoir before the project is completed. But if things don't work out, the publisher can get a lot of publicity by canceling the book, while the Duke of Sussex would likely have to spend the initial funds suing the publisher.

"It all goes back to square one again... It's really out of your depth... It's a lot safer in the long run to help the Commonwealth. You're serving your causes and doing things for the general good instead of for yourself," Vickers told the outlet.

Vickers' comments about Prince Harry "competing" with his own family came after two new portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were shared just two days after Buckingham Palace released a new photo of King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The image of the four senior royals was taken during a palace reception held for world leaders on the eve of Queen Elizabeth's funeral last month.

It was reported that Prince Harry and Markle were initially invited to the reception but were later uninvited because it was exclusive to working royals.

The release of the Sussexes' photos shortly after the unveiling of the portrait of the so-called new "Fab Four" raised some eyebrows, with British journalist Angela Levin saying she felt that the couple was competing with the royal family with the move.

"I just [think they] did [share the photo] in competition with the main royal family," Levin told journalist Dan Wootton on his GB News show. "They just want to squash it down in any way they can, and it seems they can't bear it if they've got publicity and they have to do better or they don't do better. [But] they couldn't do better. It was an amazing picture and there is a whole new life now that's going to happen."