On Monday, Buckingham Palace made an odd move, and what was probably a move to placate a certain violently temperamental heir. The Lord Chamberlain issued an open letter to the media, to the British government, the British military and the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ team. The letter states, in clear terms, that the 2020 “Sandringham Agreement” still holds, that Prince Harry and Meghan are private citizens and NOT working royals, even if they moved back to the UK nearly two weeks ago.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be working royals carrying out official engagements now they have returned to the UK, a letter sent on behalf of King Charles says.
The letter is intended to clarify the status of Prince Harry and Meghan, who moved back from California with children Archie and Lilibet last month.
They will still not be able to use the “HRH” titles of His and Her Royal Highness, and are “private citizens with commercial and charitable interests”, the letter sent on behalf of the King by the Lord Chamberlain, a top Palace official, says. It has been sent to Prince Harry’s team and to the government, military and Lord Lieutenants, according to Palace sources.
Lord Lieutenants and government staff might be involved in royal visits and engagements – and this letter makes clear that any engagements carried out by the Sussexes will be in a private capacity and not representing the Royal Family.
The message emphasises that the position agreed in 2020 when the Sussexes left the UK – the so-called Sandringham Agreement – is still in place. This ruled out any “half-in and half-out” status, so Harry and Meghan could not pursue their own commercial interests while continuing to be working royals.
The wording of the letter was shared with Newsweek and reads: “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.”
The letter added: “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.”
I have some thoughts, big surprise. This is meant as a clarifying document, the equivalent of “by the way, let’s just say all of this on the record so we’re all on the same page.” And I don’t actually blame King Charles and Buckingham Palace for doing that, because as of this moment, the Sussexes have still not given an on-the-record statement about their return to Britain and why they suddenly decided to uproot their family from Montecito. The roles were reversed between father and son – for years, Charles has benefited from stringing Harry along with vague briefings and a general lack of clarity. With the Sussex Return, Harry and Meghan are the ones keeping everything vague and off-the-record.
I actually went back to Team Sussex’s briefing to People Magazine about the return, and while their team emphasized that they were going back to the trauma blender as private citizens, they also emphasized that “those close to the Sussexes believe they have successfully executed the ‘half in, half out’ model Harry and Meghan proposed to the royal family in 2019.” That’s all Harry – he’s obsessed with the “half in” thing, and I think this was Charles saying “actually, no, you’re still all the way out.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend The King’s Birthday Parade known as Trooping The Colour at Horse Guards Parade, London, England, UK on Saturday 13 June, 2026.,Image: 1109928453, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no , Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
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- King Charles II and Camilla Queen Consort with Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, Gun Carriage Procession, Wellington Roundabout, London, UK – 19 Sep 2022,Image: 724207135, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock/Avalon/Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla walk through Royal Gallery for the State Opening of Parliament at Houses Of Parliament, London, England, UK on Wednesday 13 May, 2026.,Image: 1098555181, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no , Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
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- (L-R) – Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Prince William – The Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Catherine – The Princess of Wales, Prince Louis and Prince George attend The King’s Birthday Parade known as Trooping The Colour at Horse Guards Parade, London, England, UK on Saturday 13 June, 2026.,Image: 1109921529, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no , Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
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- Ascot, UK. 19 June, 2026. King Charles III and Queen Camilla during the Royal Procession ahead of the racing on Day 4 of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse.,Image: 1111237931, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Credit line: Bart Lenoir/Avalon
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- BOVINGTON, DORSET – JULY 06: King Charles III meets RTR soldiers on parade during The Royal Tank Regiment’s Families’ Day at the Tank Museum on July 06, 2026 in Bovington, Dorset.,Image: 1114823565, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon
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- BOVINGTON, DORSET – JULY 06: King Charles III rides in a Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank during The Royal Tank Regiment’s Families’ Day at the Tank Museum on July 06, 2026 in Bovington, Dorset.,Image: 1114823704, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon
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- 09-03-2020 Commonwealth Day Celebrations Westminster Abbey 2020
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- Australia Only, Norfolk, UK – 20181225 – British Royal Family Attends Christmas Morning Service. -PICTURED: Prince Charles, Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Prince Charles, Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry Where: Norfolk, UK, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2018 Credit: INSTARimages.com **Australia Only**
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- USA Rights Only – London, UK -20190404- Celebrities attend the global premiere of Netflix’s Our Planet, held at the Natural History Museum. -PICTURED: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Sir David Attenborough, Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex -PHOTO by: Anwar Hussein/PA Images/INSTARimages.com -42159452.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Sir David Attenborough, Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 04 Apr 2019 Credit: Anwar Hussein/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
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- 09-03-2020 Commonwealth Day Celebrations Westminster Abbey 2020
When wil Pa.release a letter stating that William and Kate are also, despite appearances, non working.royals as well?
Lol
It really is hilariously ridiculous that William and Kate’s only real work is working up a keen sweat before sitting back down again. They would blow fuses in a second doing a tenth of the tasks the Sussexes accomplish. I look forward to learning why on Earth Harry and Meghan willingly returned to that cesspool.
OMG yes! I do hope we find out someday, I’m tired of guessing. I wish them every success but mostly safety. 💗
Exactly 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.. beyond incandescent rage briefings against the Sussex family (which I’m sure they believe is “working”) they don’t even visit the charities the BRF has them supporting I think it’s considered a win if they visit one in a decade. That is not support it’s the charities being stuck with these two parasites because they would be vilified if they asked them to drop their charity from the paperwork.
So, clarifying statement for this but could not on the story of “Meghan made Kate cry” or any of the other things that had actually needed clarification?
Ok, got it!
Even though it’s People Magazine, they never said they were half-in/out. It came from unidentified “sources” not an official statement. I’m not sure what the point of the letter is . Nobody has said there was a change in status.
Another way to look at this is a signal to the press that they are private citizens and deserve to move about with their privacy respected. As working royals any movement would include press coverage. While of course the press will follow them regardless of their official status, this statement does perhaps give them a little more leeway to push back on intrusive coverage as private citizens.
According to some sources, RAVEC was supposed to meet today to review H’s case but have again kicked the can down the road for later this week (we’ll see). KFC issuing this statement on the eve of a scheduled RAVEC meeting about H’s security is just completely coincidental.
I’m guessing KFC advised RAVEC to deny H security and his pre-emptive statement is meant to justify the “official” reasoning that wll be given for that decision. Perhaps that’s why RAVEC rescheduled their meeting. The stench of a stitch up was too damaging for their organisation?
That’s actually what I find so strange about the letter. Nobody had officially announced that Harry and Meghan were becoming working royals again. Their status hadn’t changed.
So why the need for such a pointed clarification now, immediately after their return to the UK? To me, that’s what makes it feel so cold. It reads less like “nothing has changed” and more like “don’t misunderstand this return, and don’t let anyone else misunderstand it either.”
And yes, the “half in, half out” thing came from a unidentified source close to them in People, not from an official statement by Harry or Meghan. Which makes me wonder if the Palace is responding to a perception rather than to an actual change in status.
That timing is certainly interesting, especially if RAVEC was really due to meet today.
I think Harry’s friends muddied the waters by talking about half in but for me it was always clear to me that Meghan wasn’t going to be a working royal, Harry not so much. I’m glad Charles issued the letter even though it’s debatable whether it needed to be made public. What’s interesting to me is how the derangers reacted to the letter. They honestly believed that Harry and Meghan were returning to be working royals. The royal rota has no excuse now. They can get some discipline and stop covering Harry and Meghan but they’re still going to be reporting on them because of William and Kate are boring.
I think the letter is good in that it kicks back on Eden’s etc theory about project thaw which some were buying. Some press were getting excited and acting like they were in uk to help out William & the slimmed down & ageing taxpayer funded line up. So guess not bad to confirm yet again that things remain as was stated in 2020 & then in 2021 after they said they weren’t returning to duties after the one year review ended.
as I said last week that not only did the palace not want them back as taxpayer funded royals but I doubt whatever ‘friends’ allegedly said or what the royalist press claim, H&M would see their position as half in half out. Half in half out was something they pitched in 2020 which involved working for the monarch when requested and having own commercial activity to be financially independent. From Spare that option wasn’t available to them at the sandringam summit. They are completely out & do their work & own charity work representing their foundation or other charity work.
So my only question is the timing on the letter – I thought the palace is all about hierarchy & not overshadowing. I doubt many care about George going to eton outside of ardent royalists but why release this letter day before that & before an alleged meeting on security or make it public if it was directed to uk govt & military officials 🧐
Read somewhere that, by emphasizing the Sussexes are back as private citizens, BP is also making it clear that any tabloid or rag that publishes pictures of the kids or their home could face litigation. Don’t know if that was part of Charles’ intent, but it’s part of the consequences.
Ah that is an interesting consequence.
I guess it depends on what a person’s definition of “in” is. Harry probably always just wanted to be able to support his charities, be financially independent, and be near his family, whether he acted in an official capacity on behalf of the crown or not. He’s got what he wanted.
Let us not forget that Harry was happier spending ten years in the military in remote outposts than being in Britain. We will find out in time why they are there now.
And this is why they should have made a statement, directly from them not from people magazine and from sources. Get ahead of the made up stories and sources say. They are again allowing the press and palace to shape the narrative and the public’s view of them. Harry is looking like a fool, put in his place by his father. Yes, it’s the same as it was in 2020 agreement but that is not how this is being framed and fed to the public. It is being framed like they ran back to beg for a job and just got publicly told no. But I’m sure I’m wrong and Harry is playing chess and this actually is great for Harry and Meghan and they totally come out looking great.
On the other hand, had Harry issued a public statement it would have been a signal to the press to cover it, and might further open the door to more, unwanted coverage. So by remaining silent and going about his business, he is protecting himself and his family, and perhaps adhering to any understanding he and his father may have come to. Finally, like anyone reentering a sensitive if not possibly hostile environment (in some quarters), the wiser move from a PR perspective is show discretion and let the work you do speak volumes.
Not sure if you will cover it separately but Jamaica delivered some sort of legal document regarding reparations from the crown. Love that
Ah yes, William’s “global statesman” work in Jamaica is finally coming to fruition.
The fact that WanK were fired on live TV by the Jamaican PM still makes me laugh so much.
Harrys family are meghan and the children. He is near his birth family. In the UK. But he may not stay during scooters reign
I have said this numerous times. In Harry’s mind, he is a royal. He will be doing what royals call “work” ( I call bullshit but I don’t have a say). So, he is a royal doing charity “work”. How is he not a “working royal”? Charles can scream into the wind all he wants. It’s going to look like the Sussexes are half-in, half-out.
Well he’s not wrong, lol. He is a part of the royal family as the son the king and thus he’s royal. And he does do work?
Exactly 💯! “Charity events are mine!” raged the other brother.
One reason he is not “a working royal” is because he is not living off the public purse the way the rest of the royal family is. He does what he does because he feels a deep sense of responsibility because of the privileges he was born with and because he enjoys it.
yeah, I don’t think M has any intention of being a ‘working royal’ in any capacity while back in the UK. I’m not sure about Harry’s stance but C made the firm’s position clear. H&M should’ve put out a definitive statement but at least the press will stop covering them since they’re private citizens. right? right???
Interesting that the letter says that any countries hosting the Sussexes should coordinate with the Palace about security plans. If the UK taxpayers nor Charles aren’t paying for Sussex security, because they are private citizens, then why would other countries need to coordinate with Buckingham Palace? This comes after Harry has gone on the record that he thinks the Palace had discouraged, and have been otherwise uncooperative with, other countries who *had* reached out about security arrangements.
This reads more like “business as usual. nothing has changed and nothing will change.”
Which is either positive or negative depending on how you want to look at it or interpret it. Positive for the Windsors, courtiers, media etc who don’t want the BRF to have any association with the Sussexes. Negative for those who did want said relationship.
This is my interpretation of it. I actually this is bc the palace was getting way too many questions about H&M’s status, including from William, so they released to make sure everyone in the public and the press was on the same page about it. Basically I’m seeing it as a “no they’re not working royals, stop asking.”
To avoid any insinuations that the Sussexes want to be half in half out, Charles’ letter should’ve probably also clarified that the Sussexes did not ask for, or expected, any official royal duties. Now, there’ll be all kinds of “sources” saying (in the tabloids) that Harry and Meghan wanted to go back to official royal duties.
I also think this is a distraction from the Jamaica reparations issue.
There will continue to be “sources” implying this and that, no matter what Harry says or doesn’t say. I think gray rocking is the sanest way to go.
This clarification letter from Charles is actually a gift to Harry and Meghan. I hope they see it that way.
ITA. This letter confirms Charles’ and BP’s position and frees them having to weigh in on any activities H&M engage in. Hopefully this will allow Harry to accept that whatever security he receives is as a private citizen.
There are so few so called working royals left. It gets to be a farce talking of working royals. And the York princesses probably won’t be invited nor James and Louise.
The working royals mantra was always a cover for marginalizing Harry and Meghan. The old definition of royalty was royal is royal. You’re royal by birth, not by the activities you engage in.
If they can throw one royal away, without cause, they can all be thrown out…
I don’t mind that Charles issued the letter. My hopes now is that the media leaves Harry and Meghan and their family alone to live a private life . Working however they want in their business and charitable activities.. now if we can also get Charles to issue a letter reminding Willy and kitty that they take tax payers money and are supposed to be working royals so for f sake do some damn work .
Actually they agreed not to use their HRH styles in business, not to hold the status in abayence. A sneaky slip in by the palace. Harry’s spokesman or lawyer should respond to the LC with a letter that expresses confusion about why the palace would issue such a statement at all since it actually adds no new info but provokes media attention when it was assumed that public statements about private matters are not productive. And make the letter public just as the palace wrongfully did.
👏 👏 👏 👏
I think they did this for two reasons, one to give RAVEC cover when security is denied again and two to stop any chat about Charles privately funding them. I saw a lot of people were claiming that on here and I cracked up about it. That man hasn’t given him any money in how many years? I think this is very much Charles telling Harry, please come back, but I am not going to lift a finger for you or your family.
Agree it’s meant to protect RAVEC but this amateurish stunt clearly points to collusion between KFC and RAVEC.
I think the intent of this letter will become clear when RAVEC announces its decision.
That said, I remain puzzled as to why Harry and Meghan decided they should live closer to Harry’s dogsh*t father.
And Meghan wasn’t a party to the Sandringham agreement, remember. She shouldn’t have to abide by it.