No respite yet, it seems, to the feud between the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry and the Palace, despite his return to Britain.
The Duke and his spouse, the Duchess of Sussex’s return to the UK have got off to a turbulent start, with tensions brewing with the Palace.
Let’s look at how the last 72 hours have unfolded… blow-by-blow from King’s letter to title demand.
A letter written on behalf of King Charles has sparked off a briefing battle.It’s been just 14 days since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle landed back in the UK to start their controversial British renaissance, and tensions are already brewing between camp Sussex and the Palace.
According to The Mirror, the Duke has not contacted his father, King Charles, since touching down on home soil, and now any recent strides made towards reconcilliation seem to be at risk with a briefing battle underway.
On Monday, Buckingham Palace issued a letter of ‘guidance’ on King Charles’ behalf, declaring in no uncertain terms that the couple have not returned to the UK as working royals. A spokesman or the Sussexes quickly hit back at the announcement, claiming: “We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance”. The publication of the letter, in his view, caught the Sussexes off-guard.
Then came the rebuttal. Palace sources insisted that this was ‘incorrect’, adding that Harry and Meghan had recieved the letter before it was sent to senior Government officials, Lord-Lieutenants and the military. It’s understood that the couple were told of the letter an hour before it was made public. They weren’t, however, consulted on its contents.
Team Sussex claim that the letter was shared with them at 1:59pm on Monday, the Mail reports. They then are said to have responded at 2:19pm ‘in the hope’ the couple could have ‘the chance to clarify one or two points’.
At the time, Harry was visiting Tower Bridge Studios – a London workspace where celebrity podcasts are recorded – and was ‘unreachable’ until 3:09pm. Two minutes later, the Sussex team were notified that the letter had already been sent to the press five minutes ago.
With Ravec (the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures) reportedly preparing to meet this week to discuss the level of state-funded protection that Harry his family are awarded in the UK – a review that the exasperated Duke has long been pleading for – the timing of the monarch’s letter is said to have raised concerns that the ‘private citizen’ language could undermine the Sussexes’ efforts to get free security.
Palace sources told the Mail that the letter, sent to more than 100 ‘senior stakeholders’ across England, had nothing to do with Harry’s long-running battle. They said the correspondence was ‘shared’ with team Sussex and then released publicly in the interests of ‘transparency’.
The letter, sent by top Palace official the Lord Chamberlain on Charles’ behalf, spelled out facts which, in the Palace’s view, have not changed since Meghan and Harry’s exodus. They will not be allowed to carry out official royal engagements despite moving back to the UK, and they will still not be able to use titles of “His and Her Royal Highness”.
It also makes clear that any engagements carried out by the couple will be in a private capacity and they will not be representing the monarchy.
Seemingly detirmined to shut down any perception of a ‘half in half out’ deal for his son, the King’s message emphasises that the agreement that both sides came to in 2020 – at the so-called ‘Sandringham Summit’ – is still in place. The whole purpose of the pact was to stop the Sussexes from being able to carry out their commercial projects while continuing to be working royals.
How this plays out in practice, with Harry’s charity work being a firm focus while living in the UK, may prove tricky. Experts warn that it will be difficult to distinguish between an official royal event and a personal philanthropic one if the Duke is due to meet members of the public, raise awareness and deliver speeches – much like a working royal would. Weighing up the security risk appears even more complicated.
Now, the saga has moved into new territory. An extraordinary briefing to the Telegraph on Tuesday read: “The duke is understood to have taken particular issue with the notion that the couple were to be treated as private citizens.
“If that were the case, it was claimed, such formal guidance would not be required. The Sussexes prefer the term ‘public figures’, and would have liked an acknowledgement that, on a personal level, they remained members of the Royal Family, despite no longer receiving public funding.”
Royal sources have told the Mirror that the King and the rest of the royal family has been “blindsided” by the Sussexes’ relocation and remain unsure of the true reason for the family moving from California.
Despite the confusion, the King is understood to be very much looking forward to seeing his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, more often. However, sources say the monarch feels “perplexed” that his estranged son has not offered the courtesy of keeping him informed about the family’s plans.
The Duchess is set to split her time between the UK and America for work projects
One source said: “Harry has spoken openly about desperately wanting reconciliation and yet he is the one keeping his father and his family in the dark about major developments such as moving back to the UK.
“Such behaviour just makes it harder to deal with the Sussexes or know their true motives for moving their entire lives back to Harry’s homeland. The whole family are perplexed about the situation.”
Various opinion polls show that many don’t believe they should be entitled to protection paid for by the taxpayer. And royal expert Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “I suppose the problem is that the longer he and his family stay here with no taxpayer-funded security, the weaker his case may seem. And the public will take note of that.
“However, things could change in an instant if Harry or his family were targeted. And there’s no denying that his risk level — given his high profile and military background — must be significant.
“I’m not sure that Harry does understand the public antipathy to funding his security. Arriving in the UK in a plush private jet did not do his image any good.
Yes, he needs security. Yes, he has offered to pay, but the Metropolitan Police cannot be ‘hired’. And yes, he feels he needs armed protection, which his private bodyguards cannot provide in the UK.
“But if he can afford a jet – or friends who will lend him one – then I understand that many people will feel he can afford to pay for a pretty substantial level of private security, even if without guns. So he doesn’t do himself any favours.”
The Duke, a veteran himself, founded the Invictus Games as an international sport event for wounded, injured and sick armed forces personnel. The event has now faced a huge blow after one of the participating countries said it will withdraw from the games as it “does not have His Majesty’s approval”.
It comes as the military chief of Uganda has revealed his country will pull-out of the Invictus Games due to “that Harry-Meghan nonsense”.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of Uganda’s armed forces and the President’s son, announced the bold decision in a social media post on Wednesday.
On X, he wrote: “In order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, whom we deeply revere, Uganda hereby withdraws from the Invictus Games. We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.”
General Kainerugaba, speaking to The Times, said he made the decision to withdraw Uganda from the Invictus Games due to his support for King Charles.
He said: “I have factions in the Ministry of Defence that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.”
Source: Mirror
