On Monday, Tower Bridge Studio’s Instagram posted a couple of photos of Prince Harry. Harry visited the studio, signed the wall and looked mischievous. I can’t seem to find this Instagram post – was it deleted? Interesting. According to People Mag, Harry went to this studio last Friday, and he was accompanied by a few men. He spent most of Friday working on a “mystery project” and he was reportedly “very, very pleasant to everyone. And he was very pleased to sign our celebrity wall. It was all very relaxed.”
You know who is NOT relaxed? Every royal reporter, every courtier, and every single royal. On Monday, Buckingham Palace issued a clarifying statement about the Sussexes’ “private” status in the UK, basically emphasizing that Harry and Meghan will never be considered working royals in any way. Well, the Daily Mail’s Becky English claims that the clarifying statement came as a huge surprise to the Sussexes.
Harry and Meghan were ‘surprised’ by the King’s bombshell letter making it crystal clear they will be treated as ‘private citizens’ rather than working royals, it emerged today. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex claim they were given no advance warning that Charles would issue the diktat confirming they will not undertake any royal duties in the UK.
The couple, who returned to Britain a fortnight ago, are also understood to be concerned that the timing of the announcement may be linked to a crucial meeting over their security arrangements. Harry and Meghan are still pushing for 24/7 armed police protection now they are back in the UK with their children, Archie and Lilibet, with the couple reportedly worried about safety on the school run.
The Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), the Home Office committee responsible for making decisions about royal security, is reportedly meeting as early as today to discuss arrangements for the Sussexes. But last night the King ruled out any role for Harry and Meghan with the Royal Family on the eve of the crunch security meeting.
A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess said: ‘We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.’
The couple’s spokesman apparently admitted the letter’s publication had taken them off guard. It is understood that while Harry and Meghan were told about the letter, they were not consulted on its contents.
A Buckingham Palace source told The Daily Telegraph that the release had nothing to do with the security issue or any meeting.
King Charles’s letter told more than 100 ‘senior stakeholders’ across the country that his son and daughter-in-law are not working royals with a reminder that their HRH titles remain on ice.
It comes after sources close to the couple repeatedly briefed select media about plans for their new life back in Britain. They include a resumption of public engagements with the media invited to attend. Some of the couple’s friends have even boasted that Harry has finally secured the ‘half-in, half-out’ deal he always wanted – with the freedom to mine lucrative commercial opportunities while undertaking limited official duties by the ‘back door’.That model was firmly rejected as unworkable by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, at the so-called ‘Sandringham Summit’ of January 2020, which led to the Sussexes’ acrimoniously quitting, not only royal life, but also Britain while embarking on a series of very public attacks on the institution. Now the King has moved decisively to quash speculation over their return, and publicly re-enforce the boundaries laid down by his late mother. And he makes clear that Harry and Meghan’s public appearances should not be treated as royal engagements and no public money should be spent on them.
Publication of the letter came as Prince Harry conducted his first official outing on Monday since arriving back in Britain – and will be seen by many as particularly timely. He was pictured smiling at the Tower Bridge Studios in London and signing a mural on a wall during a pseudo-royal engagement.
This is the relevant part: “He was pictured smiling at the Tower Bridge Studios in London and signing a mural on a wall during a pseudo-royal engagement.” That’s how royal reporters frame everything Harry and Meghan do, even if they’re making a charity visit privately, even if they’re invited to visit a country via Invictus or what have you. It’s always “pseudo-royal” or “quasi-royal” or “they’re trying to do ROYAL WORK and that’s not allowed!” For Prince William in particular, anything Harry does is “royal work” and William is just furious about it. This is also how royal reporters justify covering Harry and Meghan to this day – they’re still royal, they’re still taking on “pseudo-royal engagements,” therefore we can talk about them, right? Anyway, I can’t believe the Sussex spox went on the record about their “surprise” over the clarification statement.
Photos courtesy of Tower Bridge Studios’ Instagram, social media.
