Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were reportedly caught off guard by Buckingham Palace’s decision to publicly release a letter confirming that they remain non-working members of the British royal family, despite their return to the United Kingdom.
The letter, issued on behalf of King Charles III to senior government and military officials, was released to the media on Monday with the couple given little time to review or respond to its contents, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
The couple’s representatives received a copy just one hour and 12 minutes before it was released to news organisations, the person said.
Harry was reportedly in a meeting at the time, and his representatives were only able to reach him two minutes before the letter was made public, leaving little opportunity for the couple to respond.
The letter confirmed that Harry and Meghan’s royal status remains unchanged.
They will continue not to use the formal titles His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness, as they have done since stepping back from official royal duties in 2020.
It also stated that any charitable activities undertaken by the couple would be carried out in a private capacity, while decisions concerning their operational security would remain the responsibility of the relevant police authorities.
“To help avoid doubt or confusion, The King has directed that (this) information be shared,” the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the royal household, said in the letter.
Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 before moving to North America, where they pursued commercial deals including agreements with Netflix and Spotify.
At the time, Queen Elizabeth II made clear that the couple could not remain part-time working royals while pursuing commercial arrangements and would have to give up their royal roles.
King Charles reiterated that position after becoming monarch in 2022.
The palace’s decision to clarify their status comes as Harry and Meghan return to the UK with their children, amid continued tensions between the couple and the royal family.
Some palace observers have expressed concern that their presence in Britain could allow them to establish a “parallel royal court” that might compete with the working members of the royal family.
Security remains another major point of contention. Harry has been involved in a long-running legal and political battle over the restoration of publicly funded police protection, which was withdrawn after he and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles.
Any decision on whether the couple should receive round-the-clock police protection rests with RAVEC, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee.
The committee is expected to meet this week, according to the person familiar with the discussions.
