‘Scroungers’ or worth a second chance: What Londoners really think of Harry and Meghan

London: The Duke of Sussex is waiting for me when I alight from Waterloo Station and walk along busy streets on a sunny afternoon as people head out for drinks and dinner.

Before I get to the pub and its popular beer garden, however, I have work to do. I slow down so I can ask people what they think about Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, making an imminent return to Britain .

And I find Londoners have as many opinions about the royal family as they have bus routes.

“I think they’re welcome – it would be better for everyone if they reunited as a family,” says Karl, a man in his 30s who is rushing for a train.

“It’s an irrelevance,” says Benedict, a communications professional. “The royal family is an ancient hangover of a corrupt society.”

Big questions surround the royal couple’s return with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. The children are due to start at a British school as soon as next week, the beginning of the school year, and the family are said to be moving to a private residence just outside London.

The British press is full of speculation about whether the government will assign security to the family; when Meghan will resume her acting career; whether King Charles will welcome them home; and whether Harry can reconcile with his brother, William, the Prince of Wales.

Even those who have a soft spot for Harry – the actual Duke of Sussex, of course – wonder why he is coming back after speaking out against the royal family during his six years in California.

“I don’t mind Harry. I think he’ll be fine,” says Helen McMahon, a doctor who is out for the day with her two young children. “But I think they’ve become pretty unpopular because nobody likes Meghan because they think she’s a gold digger.

“And they’ve tried to monetise everything and televise everything. So, I wonder whether they can just change their minds that easily and return.”

McMahon believes the royal family is now a waste of money, although she liked the late Queen Elizabeth II. Here in central London, it is not hard to find others who feel the same way.

“I think the media feeds them. They feed the media. They can all eff off. They cost the country too much. I have no interest in them.

“All the royal family should be taken off somewhere. Buckingham Palace can be turned into a nice youth hostel or a nice homeless hostel.”

It is about two months since King Charles disclosed accounts showing the royal family cost taxpayers £132 million ($250 million) last year. The latest polling shows 64 per cent of British voters believe the UK should keep its monarchy, but the cost of the institution is clearly a concern on the streets near Waterloo Station.