It was Lord Chamberlain’s letter that stirred up a fresh Royal Family storm. And as soon as it landed, the scale of the mismatch between the expectations of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the core Royal Family about the terms of their return to the UK were on full display.
This has been a big week for the couple, settling into a discreet north Oxfordshire farmhouse, their two children safely ensconced in a prep school favoured by the discerning wealthy. Pretty much everyone who knows this Cotswolds set knows the details – but the Sussexes have been adamant that they seek privacy for their stay – however long it lasts.
Trouble has been stirring since the start of the month over how closely they can portray themselves as associated with the “core” Royal Family, and the answer from one of the most senior members of the Royal Household, delivered in a letter released publicly, was – not at all.
The couple announced that they were “surprised” (which is VIP-speak for absolutely furious) that a communication sent to government departments and the military on behalf of King Charles reiterated the couple’s status as non-working royals – information which could have been relayed privately. And in a sign of a vanishingly low trust threshold, it is believed it was released to the media only about an hour after they received it themselves, which headed off any chance to voice disagreement.
