Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have been back in the U.K. for less than two weeks and a briefing war with Buckingham Palace is already under way.
On Monday afternoon, King Charles III sent out a missive via the Lord Chamberlain, who supervises the royal household, reminding government officials that Harry and his wife had stepped back from their duties as working royals and that their business or charitable activities were those of “private citizens”—not to be treated as royal engagements.
The couple shouldn’t be referred to as His or Her Royal Highness, the letter said, adding it had published the guidance to “help avoid doubt or confusion.”
The letter did, in fact, trigger some confusion—with Harry and Meghan themselves, who remain Duke and Duchess of Sussex. A spokesman for the couple said they were “a little surprised” not to be consulted before the letter was broadcast to the media. The Sussex team had sight of it about an hour before it was made public, according to one person briefed on the matter. The Sussexes said they didn’t sign off on the letter, which appeared to contradict Buckingham Palace. It said earlier the letter had been sent in full accordance with the couple.
The issue has been leapt on by the British media as a sign of trouble ahead as the Sussexes settle back into life back in the U.K. after years away in California.
So far, the couple had managed to keep a remarkably low profile as they moved to a house, which is rumored to be in the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire, and settled their two children Archie and Lilibet into school. There have been no major photo opportunities and the tabloid press seems, for now at least, to have respected their wishes to be left alone.
A more open question, though, is what happens when they seek out the media limelight. This autumn, the Sussexes are expected to undertake some more public charitable works. On Tuesday, Prince Harry was photographed signing a wall at a film studio in London, his first appearance since his return. The same day, Prince George—his nephew and second in line to the throne—began school at Eton College, a traditional photo op for the royal family.
There is also another potential controversy looming: whether the Sussexes are granted U.K. taxpayer-backed security. The Royal and VIP Executive Committee which decides security for royals and public figures is expected to meet this week to discuss the level of protection afforded to the Sussex family now that they are back living in the U.K.
Prince Harry’s eligibility for full police protection, as afforded to other British royals and former prime ministers, was removed after the Sussexes quit royal duties in 2020. Harry repeatedly complained that it wasn’t safe for his family to live in the U.K. without official security and sued the U.K. Home Office over the matter. When a court found against him in 2025 he called it an “establishment stitch up.”
If police protection is granted, it would be a vindication for Harry and potentially save his family millions in expenditure on private security.
When Meghan and Harry quit royal duties in 2020, dubbed “Megxit” by the British press, the royal family held an emergency summit at Sandringham to iron out what the couple’s official position would be. Queen Elizabeth II apparently insisted that the couple couldn’t both be pursuing commercial interests and representing the crown—so called “half in, half out.” Despite Harry and Meghan’s entreaties, they were stripped of royal patronages and honorary military titles.
Now that they are back in Britain, there have been some concerns over whether lines might be blurred as the couple undertake charity and other events that might look to the public like royal events.
The Lord Chamberlain, Richard Benyon, made clear in his letter that the Sandringham agreement still stands. “All correspondence and administrative questions relating to the couple should be sent directly to their office,” he concluded in his letter, “which will continue to operate separately from The Royal Household.”