The rift between Buckingham Palace and the Sussexes worsened this week after a recent statement from King Charles III.
Days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the UK to stay long-term, the monarch sent a guidance letter saying that the two are to be considered “private citizens” regarding their public engagements.
Harry has reportedly taken issue with the label, as well as not being consulted in advance about the letter's content.
Highlights
- After Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK, King Charles wrote a letter, calling them “private citizens.”
- The label allegedly didn't sit well with the Sussexes, who weren’t told about it in advance.
- An insider has now revealed why Charles felt the need to write the letter.
Now, an insider has shed light on the reason Charles felt it necessary to write the letter and brand his son and daughter-in-law as such.
“With them moving back to the UK, it’s been confusing,” the source said.
King Charles reportedly wrote the letter to iron out any “confusion” about Harry and Meghan’s return
When Harry and Meghan split from the Royal Family, they stopped being working royals, lost their HRH titles, and became ineligible for public funding under the conditions of the Sandringham Summit.
But since their return to the UK on August 26 and subsequent reports of house-hunting for a permanent residence in the Cotswolds, many have wondered whether the previous agreement still stood and if Harry and Meghan would resume representing the family.
The letter, dated September 7 and penned by Lord Chamberlain Richard Benyon on the King’s behalf, clearly stated that this would not be the case.
“It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” the letter read.
“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
Explaining the intention behind the letter, a source told US Weekly magazine on September 10 that the King meant to squash any rumors of Harry’s potential return to Buckingham Palace.
“Per an agreement when they left working royal status, everything they wanted to do that was public-facing with certain patronages was to be approved by the palace so they would not be confused as official working royals,” the insider said.
“Charles wrote a letter to clarify they are not working royals and they are considered private citizens so there is no confusion,” the source added. “The king just wanted the public and press not to be confused. They can’t be one foot in and one foot out.”
The Sussexes got no chance to review the letter that was allegedly Prince William’s idea
A second source told US Weekly that Harry and Meghan’s “plan was always to come back to the UK as non-working royals.”
The day after the letter was released, a spokesperson for the Sussexes told the British media that the two “were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.”
A source told The Telegraph that Harry took offense over his father calling him and his wife “private citizens” and preferred the term “public figures” instead. He also expected an acknowledgment that, on a personal level, they remained members of the Royal Family.
Moreover, the letter reached their office merely an hour before it was made public.
Their staff never got the chance to “clarify one or two points” they had issues with since they could not reach Harry in time, who was reportedly busy in a meeting at Tower Bridge Studios, a London filming and podcast establishment.
Buckingham Palace sources told The Telegraph that there was no need to consult the Sussexes as the letter had “nothing controversial or new” and only reaffirmed their existing status.
Although the letter came from King Charles’ office, a source told journalist Rob Shuter that it was Prince William’s idea.
“William had had enough of the confusion,” the insider said. “Lord Lieutenancies were asking how Harry and Meghan should be treated. William’s answer was brutally simple: nothing has changed. They are out.”
Prince Harry’s private engagements are already being affected by King Charles’ letter, according to a source
No matter what the Royal Family labels Harry and Meghan, it does little to change public perception, a source close to the Sussexes told People magazine amid the letter controversy.
“They are public figures,” the insider said. “Members of the public know who they are. The idea that they can live a normal, ‘private’ life is sadly not realistic.”
Those close to the couple also argued that if Harry and Meghan were private individuals, a formal letter of guidance would not have been necessary in the first place.
Meanwhile, Harry is gearing up for multiple public engagements in September, according to The Telegraph, but Meghan will not be accompanying him much in the coming months.
“He has his work, and she has hers, which is not so public-facing,” one friend said. “It will be rare to see her or to see them together.”
Harry will go to a WellChild program supporting seriously ill children, launch the Inspire educational initiative, attend the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards, and take part in other engagements related to the 2027 Invictus Games.
Founded by Harry in 2014, the international multi-sport event supports wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans through sport and recovery.
After Charles’ letter, Uganda pulled out of the Invictus Games, with the country’s military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, declaring support for the monarch and dismissing any “Harry-Meghan nonsense.”
A source close to Harry told People magazine, “They made it very clear that the reason they pulled out was a direct result of perceived guidance from the Lord Chamberlain. This was an unintended or intended consequence of the letter — and that was always going to happen. Hence the wish not to rush it out.”
"Since when does the King need his prodigal son's approval?" one angry reader commented
