LONDON — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, were “surprised” by a letter sent on behalf of King Charles III that confirmed they remain nonworking members of the royal family after their return to Britain, a spokesperson for the couple told NBC News on Tuesday.
Buckingham Palace released the letter Monday, reiterating that Harry and Meghan remained nonworking royals as they have since they stepped down from royal duties in January 2020.
A palace source said the letter was issued to clarify the unchanged position of the couple for the British government and military amid questions over whether the public should fund their security.
It was put into the public domain because it likely would have leaked anyway and the palace wanted to avoid claims of secrecy around what it contained, the source said.
But a spokesman for Harry and Meghan told NBC News that they were “surprised” by the letter and were not given an opportunity to contribute to its contents.
The contents of the letter were shared with the couple’s staff a few hours before it was released, according to a spokesperson for the Sussexes. A Buckingham Palace source confirmed to NBC News that the letter had been shared with Harry’s team Monday.
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan told NBC News that a government committee was meeting this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, to discuss whether to provide security for the couple now that they have moved back to the United Kingdom.
The Home Office, the government department responsible for the protection of public figures, declined to respond directly when asked by NBC News, citing security concerns.
A palace source said Monday that it was up to the security committee to decide whether to allocate security for the prince and his family.
The couple moved from California last month for an “extended” stay with their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5.
Their surprise return has reignited media coverage of royal tensions, which exploded into public view with the couple’s allegations of racism and bullying. They moved to Montecito, an affluent coastal enclave in Santa Barbara, and signed a number of commercial deals.
The move back to Britain has also raised a number of questions over security, after a protracted legal battle between Harry and the British government over the removal of their protection.
The long-running dispute stems from a decision by the Home Office in February 2020 that the couple would no longer automatically receive personal police security while in Britain. Harry argues that the government should provide security for him and his family due to his high-profile position, military service in Afghanistan and threats he has received.
The latest public tension follows Monday’s release of the letter signed by the lord chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household.
It said: “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.”
It went on to say that their charitable work was “a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity” and “in short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
It added: “This position, distinct from the State and Royal duties undertaken by the working Royal Family, and with the personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish, will continue to be fully respected.”
