Harry and Meghan respond to King Charles edict, saying they want to remain ‘public figures’
New reports have emerged that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to be called ‘public figures’ rather than the ‘private citizens’ outlined in a letter from the King.
UK media are reporting that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle want to be called “public figures” instead of “private citizens” - the latter term used by King Charles for the former royals after their return to the UK.
Both The Sun and the UK Daily Mail have cited sources close to the Sussexes saying that the couple have taken umbrage with Monday’s letter from the monarch stating how the pair should be treated given that their titles were in abeyance following their decision to step back from the royal family.
The King message, sent through his highest official, Lord Chamberlain, outlined to “stakeholders” in military, government and royal circles that Harry and Meghan were no longer to be treated as working royals but as “private citizens”.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.That edict would be in accordance with their 2020 decision to step back from the royal family during their six-year sojourn to the USA. That trans-Atlantic stint ended just weeks ago with the shock return of Harry and Meghan along with their children, Archie and Lilibet, who started school in the UK this week.
However, both UK tabloids have cited sources close to the Sussexes, who say they would have preferred the description of “public figures” as opposed to the King’s term.
The distinction appears at odds with the intentions of their move away from their public roles with the royal family, and indeed, from the United Kingdom.
Back then it was Harry and Meghan’s stated intention to live privately in the US away from the relentless media scrutiny expected from their royal roles.
King Charles largely appeared to confirm Buckingham Palace’s approval for that treatment to continue in his letter on Monday, in which he said the pair were to be treated as “private citizens” and that any security concerns surrounding them should be directed to police law enforcement.
However, The Mail’s royal reporter Rebecca English, reported that the Sussexes have been blindsided by both the letter, and the fact they had only one hour’s notice of its unexpected release to the public.
As a result the UK’s Telegraph reported that: “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.”
Insiders told The Mail that the Telegraph briefing and preferred terminology reflected the pair’s preference for a “half-in, half-out” model of semi-royal status. However, it was thought within the royal family that particular treatment would be unsustainable given the pair’s continued commercial activities.
Those activities include Meghan’s continued involvement with lifestyle brand As Ever and reports that the former Suits star is in advanced talks to return to the small screen in the latest instalments of Guy Ritchie’s gangster series. The Gentlemen.
Sources from Buckingham Palace said it was Harry and Meghan’s involvement with such commercial activities along with their continued charity work that sparked the need for clarity on their royal status.
