Prince Harry, Meghan Markle: Couple ‘shocked’ by King Charles’ letter stating they remain private royals

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly shocked after King Charles issued a statement on their royal status just days after the couple relocated to the United Kingdom.

The King released “official guidance” on the Duke and Duchess’s royal position on Monday night local time, saying “no change” would be made and that any reference to the pair as His and Her Royal Highness “remain in abeyance and are not used”.

The family, including their children, 7-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet, will be ranked as “private citizens” despite being back in the country of Harry’s birth.

Despite the couple’s split from the royal family in 2020, in which they stepped back from royal duties and moved to Montecito, California, Meghan and Harry are claiming they were not informed about the King’s statement before it was sent out, according to News24.

“We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance,” a spokesperson for the couple said.

Royal insiders refute this claim, although it is believed the couple were not informed of the statement’s content.

The full statement was distributed amongst the UK’s government and military by Lord Chamberlain Richard Benyon on Monday evening.

“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 King said.

“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.”