The king has made his position clear Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s status after their return to Britain – and has no intention of getting involved in a war of words, a royal expert claimed today.
Charles wrote to more than 100 senior officials across the country to make it clear that his son and daughter-in-law are not working royal houses and remind them that their HRH titles remain on ice.
This followed reports detailing how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex planned to reintegrate themselves into public life by resuming some public activities.
When news of Charles’ unprecedented letter became public, there was an immediate response from the apparently irritated Sussexes, with a spokesperson for the couple’s briefing saying: ‘We were a little surprised that we had not been told about this in advance.’
But royal author Robert Jobson told the Daily Mail he is confident this apparent complaint from the Sussexes will be met by a stony silence from Buckingham Palace.
Jobson said: ‘It’s only been a few weeks since the Duke and Duchess returned to Britain, but there were already reports that Meghan was planning to do charity work and that Harry was taking on military duties – as pseudo-royals. It seemed like some kind of mission creep.
‘In light of this, it was felt that it was important for the King to make it clear that nothing has changed in relation to the Duke and Duchess and that they – by their own choice – became and remain private individuals and not working royals.
Harry was spotted at Tower Bridge Studios in London yesterday in a post from the recording studios
King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the Braemar Gathering in the Highlands on Saturday
King Charles with Harry at Windsor Castle after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022
“Perhaps, predictably, there was an immediate response from the couple. But don’t expect anything similar to come out of the palace.
‘The king does not intend to be tempted to respond further. He made this clarification very emphatically through the Lord Chamberlain to relevant individuals and bodies, rather than in the form of a briefing to the media.
“The very last thing he will want to do in light of their briefing and response to the media is respond in kind. So there won’t be a war of words, if you like.
‘The king has made his position clear and will now draw a line under it.’
The Duke and Duchess are reportedly surprised by the King’s formal reiteration that they will be treated as ‘private citizens’ and did not have enough time to clarify any points before the guidelines were given to the media.
Harry’s father Charles asked the Royal Household’s most senior officer, the Lord Chamberlain, to write to key stakeholders in the government and military with guidance on their status.
The letter was revealed to the media at 3.06pm yesterday. It is understood the content was shared with Harry and Meghan’s team about an hour earlier at 1.59pm.
Team Sussex sent a response back to Buckingham Palace at 2.19pm asking if the guidance had gone out yet, hoping to let the Duke and Duchess know before the media, and that the team would have a chance to clarify one or two points.
Meanwhile, Harry, who was pictured in an Instagram post yesterday walking through the recording studios at London’s Tower Bridge Studios, was in a meeting and could not be contacted until 3.09pm when he was told a letter had been drafted and his team was asking for advice on whether it had been distributed.
Team Sussex then received confirmation at 3.11pm that it had already been sent to the media.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a David Foster Foundation event in Canada on August 7
Meghan’s As Ever page posted the first photo of her since returning to Britain yesterday
William, Harry, Meghan and Charles during a Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in 2019
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said: ‘We were a little surprised that we had not been informed of this in advance.’
The revelation of the behind-the-scenes private dealings is likely to fuel speculation about growing tension between the Sussexes and the Royal Family, just two weeks after Harry and Meghan returned to Britain.
The letter was revealed ahead of a meeting this week of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is responsible for making decisions on royal security.
It is clear that the meeting is not taking place today.
Harry is awaiting the conclusion of the Risk Management Board’s threat assessment and Ravec is expected to decide at the meeting whether the Sussex family should be entitled to taxpayer-funded security now that they live in Britain.
Lord Benyon’s letter reiterated the king’s position in August, when Harry and Meghan announced their return, that there would be no change to their roles and status as private individuals and non-working royals.
It said: ‘It follows that there is no change in the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain suspended and unused.
‘The Duke and Duchess’s charity work is a personal matter for both of them and is undertaken in their personal capacities. In short, their position is comparable to that of private individuals with commercial and charitable interests.’
The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 amid the Megxit crisis and moved to the US for a new life of personal and financial freedom.
But the couple have now returned for an ‘extended period’ and enrolled their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools, amid rumors Meghan is returning to acting while living in Britain.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the private correspondence.
