Meghan and Harry rejected ‘really nice gig’ allowing them to return

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had asked to continue working on behalf of the Crown on a part-time basis as they pursued alternative ways to earn money to support their family. The late Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William are believed to have rejected the suggestion and later agreed for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to quit their roles entirely. But according to Mail’s associate editor Kate Mansey, Harry and Meghan were offered the chance to step away for a number of years abroad before returning to active royal duties.Speaking to Palace Confidential, Ms Mansey said: “When things were going wrong with Harry and Meghan, they were trying to put in place…what’s an alternative going to look like?”What can we help make it work? And that was one of the solutions, they could’ve had that.”They could’ve had five years away in Africa, come back and forth. They could’ve had a really nice gig, I think.”Royal expert Richard Eden however noted the Duchess of Sussex had shown not to have had a good impression of Africa during her only visit to the continent before her departure.JUST IN: ‘Worried’ Charles gives staff big bonus out of own pocket to fight cost of living crisis Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped down from their roles in March 2020 (Image: GETTY) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited South Africa shortly before they stepped down (Image: GETTY)Mr Eden said: “When they visited South Africa on their tour, it wasn’t wildly happy. And they didn’t seem too keen to talk about Africa.”Instead, Meghan talked about ‘how no one asked about me’ and she’s since complained about the accommodation, how Archie was almost killed in a fire.”So I’m not sure Africa holds particularly happy memories for Meghan.”The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took part in the recording of a documentary on their joint visit to South Africa in 2019 during which signs of a significant crack in relations with the Royal Family began to emerge.READ MORE: Palace bans staff from announcing details on Kate’s outfits in new Royal Family crackdown Harry and Meghan showed signs of discontent whilst on their tour (Image: GETTY)Meghan Markle thanked ITV reporter Tom Bradby for inquiring about her state of mind as she lamented the lack of support from royal aides.This year she also revealed in her Spotify podcast Archetypes her son Archie had nearly been injured because of a fire in his nursery whilst in South Africa.And Prince Harry appeared to confirm rumours of a rift with Prince William when he said the two brothers were “on different paths” during his portion of the interview.Mr Eden also reported the Duke of Sussex had initially considered moving the family to Africa as early as the summer of 2019, when he conducted an interview with Dame Jane Goodall.DON’T MISS:Kate has ‘iconic’ & ‘attractive’ smile while Meghan’s ‘not authentic’ [REPORT] Queen put foot down on Sussexes’ plan to avoid Wessex-like ‘disaster’ [REPORT] Meghan accused of ‘showing off’ as new crown cypher emerges on letter [REPORT]  Meghan Markle discussed her frustration with royal life during her tour (Image: ITV) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle settled in California before the US locked down (Image: GETTY)He said: “Harry’s old friend, the celebrated primatologist Dame Jane Goodall…Harry interviewed her for Meghan’s edition of Vogue.”Dame Jane is at the age where she can say what she like…she said Harry had told her he wanted to raise his children in Africa.”He thought about how he wanted Archie to run barefoot with the African children and these sorts of things. But it never happened, they moved to North America instead, and now they’re in California.”Prince Harry has a long-established love for Africa after the King brought him and Prince William to Cape Town two months after Princess Diana’s death.The Duke of Sussex shared his passion for the continent with Meghan in the early stages of their relationship, whisking her off to Botswana in 2016.