The King’s insistence that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain private individuals has threatened to create new tensions over the couple’s status and security.
In a letter to government departments, the military and lord lieutenancies, the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Benyon, set out the monarch’s view, reaffirming that the position since Harry and Meghan quit official royal duties in 2020 holds after their return on August 26 to live in Britain for what they have described as an extended period. “In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” Benyon wrote.
The palace felt the need to provide some clarity to emphasise that nothing had changed and that Harry and Meghan would not be working members of the family undertaking official engagements on behalf of the monarch.
Shorts
But the letter came as a surprise to the couple, who have sought to rebuild their relationship with the King and other royal relatives in spite of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s refusal to speak to them.
