King tells Harry and Meghan they are still not working royals after UK return

King Charles has reiterated that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain private citizens despite their return to the UK. Charles instructed the Lord Chamberlain to contact government departments and the military following requests for guidance after the couple’s return last month. The letter from royal aide Lord Benyon, whose office organises the King’s ceremonial and public-facing events, makes clear that Harry and Meghan do not use their HRH styles and that any operational security issues involving them should be directed to the relevant police authorities. Shorts The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 for personal and financial reasons and their sudden return to the UK on August 26 has led to much discussion about the reason behind the unexpected development. The letter states: “Following the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to relocate to the UK, we have received a number of requests for guidance. To help avoid doubt or confusion, The King has directed that the following information be shared. “It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of The Sovereign, and are no longer working Members of The Royal Family. “This position, distinct from the State and Royal duties undertaken by the working Royal Family, and with the personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish, will continue to be fully respected.” Harry is expected to carry out his annual series of engagements around the WellChild awards, normally held in mid-September, and it has been reported Meghan is aiming to rekindle her work with her UK-based charities. The couple’s children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are expected to be starting school in the UK near to the family’s reported countryside retreat. The letter went on to say: “It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. “Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used. “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.” “Any specific questions from official and State organisations about the courtesies which should be extended to the Duke and Duchess, and particularly where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed to Buckingham Palace. “Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant police authorities.” Last month, royal sources said that although the King, now 77, would welcome having Harry and his grandchildren closer, there was no prospect of the Sussexes returning to official duties and being half in, half out. Charles and William have long been firm on this point, worrying that family members running businesses and doing deals while undertaking official duties for the state opens themselves up to the sort of accusations of abuse of position facing the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Under current practice, neither Harry, a veteran of the Afghanistan conflict, nor Meghan would be invited to state events such as Trooping the Colour or the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. Similarly, they would not be invited to the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey or invited to step in for the King to host an investiture or any other official engagement because they are not working royals. It is also unlikely they will be welcomed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, who have not spoken to Harry and Meghan for several years and are still in no mood to reconcile, according to friends. Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, have declined to comment publicly so far on their decision to relocate to Britain but friends said that there were a number of factors behind the move. The fifth-in-line to the throne has missed his friends and family and the UK, they said, and he wants the children to grow up British and go to school in the UK.