King Charles delivered a blow to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as he broke his silence on the couple’s move back to the UK.
The 77-year-old monarch confirmed the Sussexes will not be working royals carrying out official engagements now that they’re back in England, according to a letter sent on behalf of Charles by the Lord Chamberlain, per the BBC.
The letter said Harry and Markle cannot use their HRH titles of His and Her Royal Highness and are “private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” a top Palace official told the BBC.
“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 reportedly stated.
The message confirmed that Harry and Markle’s 2020 agreement to stop being working royals when they left the UK will remain in place despite their move back.
The letter added, “The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity.”
Palace sources told BBC that the letter has been sent to Harry’s team, as well as the UK government, military and Lord Lieutenants.
Page Six has reached out to Buckingham Palace and Harry and Markle’s reps for comment.
The Sussexes returned to England last month with their kids Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, for an “extended period” — six years after they quit their royal duties.
The family reportedly flew privately from California and landed at Birmingham Airport around lunchtime on Aug. 26.
Page Six heard that Harry, 41, and Markle, 45, moved back overseas to be closer to Charles — who is battling cancer — and ensure their children build relationships with family.
The king learned of his younger son and daughter-in-law’s decision days before the bombshell news broke, Page Six confirmed.
In July, Charles made the first move to reconcile with the Sussexes by inviting them to his country home of Highgrove.
The reunion, which Queen Camilla also attended, marked the first time the monarch saw Archie and Lilibet in four years.
This story is developing…
