The King has laid out his position on the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to the UK.
In a letter to some of the most senior people in the country, and sent by the most senior member of his Household, King Charles confirms that the Sandringham Agreement remains firmly in place and that Harry and Meghan are private citizens.
The written confirmation, sent to Lord Lieutenants and military bosses around the UK, underlines that there is no public royal role for the couple and that there is no opportunity for them to be half in, half out royals.
The letter was sent hours after newspaper reports hinted that the Duke and Duchess are planning charity engagements now that they are back in the UK.
In a report in The Sunday Times, it was said that they ”expected to be photographed and publicised” while doing so.
However, the letter from the Lord Chamberlain says ”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”.
The letter continues ”The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity”.
It also adds ”any specific questions from official and State organisations about the courtesies which should be extended to the Duke and Duchess, and particularly where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed to Buckingham Palace. Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant police authorities.”
The letter makes Harry and Meghan firmly responsible for their own agenda, detaching it from any royal role by adding that ”all correspondence and administrative questions relating to the couple should be sent directly to their office.”
The Lord Chamberlain sent the letter to members of the government and military as well as Lord Lieutenants, who are responsible for welcoming royals to an area during engagements. It has gone to anyone who might be involved in organising official royal events.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also been sent the letter.
King Charles III’s decision to write to so many people involved in public royal life is seen as a line in the sand. Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their plans to return to the UK, speculation has continued about whether and how they would adhere to the rules set out in the Sandringham Agreement. Following their decision to step back as working royals, a summit was held at Sandringham to set out the rules around their new lives. It was agreed that they would no longer use their royal titles publicly and that their initial plans to represent the Royal Family at major events such as Trooping the Colour while building private businesses was not acceptable.
The couple and their children returned to the UK in August with Archie and Lilibet set to start new schools in England as the autumn term gets under way.
When their return was announced, it was reported that the couple and their children would live in a private home and not a royal residence. The Cotswolds and Northamptonshire are both reported as areas that might have attracted the Sussexes.
King Charles is reported to be happy that his son and grandchildren are now in the same country as it will make private visits easier.
