Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are back in the U.K., but their return reportedly isn’t turning out the way the Duke of Sussex expected.
The pair are residing in England again and are staying at a private estate in the Cotswolds for an extended period. The reason for their move back has not been given. However, many speculated that it has to do with money and possibly having round-the-clock taxpayer-funded police protection for their family.
The security decision is being reviewed by a committee known as RAVEC (the Royal and VIP Executive Committee). That includes Home Office representatives who are meeting to evaluate the level of protection for the prince and his family following their return to the country.
But when a letter from Harry’s father was sent to government departments and military officials on Sept. 7 clarifying that the Sussexes are “private citizens” now, Harry was left “infuriated.”
The letter written by Lord Benyon, at the direction of King Charles, read in part, “[Harry and Meghan’s] styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used. 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.
“Any specific questions from official and state organizations 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.”
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said, “We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance. The publication of the letter had caught the couple off guard.”
The Telegraph then 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.”
Now, someone who has spoken to Harry’s friends says that this issue has made him as “angry as he was” before moving to America.
On an episode of The Royalist podcast, The Daily Mail’s royal expert Charlotte Griffiths shared, “Well, I can tell you his head is exactly where it was pretty much in 2020 when he left. That’s been so dispiriting for friends of mine on his outer circle and some in his inner circle, who said they were sort of hoping that Harry would come back to the U.K. and there’d be this new bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, possibly that tail between his legs, Prince Harry feeling contrite, friendly, warm and fuzzy.
“And that is not the case. He’s angry. He’s definitely infuriated with the institution, just as he ever was.”
