King Charles III confirmed in a letter over the weekend that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not carry out royal duties following their return to the UK last month.
A letter sent on behalf of the king to senior government officials said the couple, who gave up their royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago, would not use their royal titles and that any charitable work they do would be done privately.
Lord Chamberlain, the royal household’s most senior official, sent the note to senior government and military officials and the lord lieutenants, who are the king’s personal representatives across the country, the Associated Press reported.
“To avoid doubt or confusion, the king has ordered the dissemination of this information,” the letter says.
The couple were reportedly informed of the note an hour before it was sent to the media, but were unable to respond to its contents before it was published, The Guardian writes.
On Tuesday, the BBC reported that a representative for the couple told the news agency that the couple were “a little surprised they weren’t told about it beforehand.”
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The letter was published ahead of the report meeting of the Executive Committee for the Protection of the Royal Family and Public Figures. The royal security body is expected to decide whether Harry and his family are entitled to taxpayer-funded protection now that they are back in the UK, according to a press release issued by the body shortly after the couple’s return.
“Officials have indicated that a new assessment is required now that the family resides in the country,” the statement said. Harry’s government-funded protection was removed when he left for California; This was followed by several unsuccessful legal proceedings to restore it.
The king’s letter reiterated that the couple’s royal titles were “suspended and not in use” and that they were “private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive for an event during a visit to Bondi Beach, Australia on April 17, 2026.
Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP, File
“This position, distinct from the public and royal duties carried out by the current Royal Family, and the personal freedom it gives the couple to be financially independent and protect their privacy as they wish, will continue to be fully respected,” the letter said.
The statement went on to say that any questions regarding the privileges granted to the couple, “particularly in cases where recourse to public funds may be required,” should be referred to Buckingham Palace, while “any operational security concerns should continue to be referred to the relevant police authorities.”
After stepping down from official royal duties to pursue independent careers in 2020, the couple remained in the headlines following the release of a tell-all Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoir. Sparewhich detailed allegations of royal neglect, tabloid abuses and, he said, the government’s failure to provide him with enough security for him to ever return home.
Relations with the rest of the royal family have since soured, although Harry recently expressed interest in reconciling to spend more time with his father, King Charles, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Harry told the BBC last year: “I would really like to reconcile with my family. There is no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
“There were so many differences between me and some of my family members,” he said, adding that he has now “forgiven” them.
Harry and Meghan visited Britain in July, where they met King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, a country estate west of London, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
Harry accused the palace of depriving him of police protection during visits to the UK, telling the publication it was the “heart” of a family dispute which he said made it difficult for him to see a future in which he would bring his children and wife back to England.
Harry’s visit to England earlier this summer also coincided with him losing a legal battle in his bid to tame the British tabloids. A judge has ruled that he failed to prove his claims of invasion of privacy by the publisher of the Daily Mail.
The couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are enrolled in school, with classes scheduled to start in September, the Associated Press reported in August.
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