Published September 10, 2026
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were understood to be taken off-guard by King Charles’s letter about their royal status, reigniting the feud that was beginning to cool off.
Even though, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not suggest that they were returning to the royal fold, but rather as “private citizens”, the confusion was still there. More so, the timing also coincided with a security review, which was to finalise if the Sussexes would get police protection.
This was not only considered a first crack in the ongoing reconciliations but also a direct blow to the Sussexes. It also came as a surprise since the Charles had only reunited with Harry and his family weeks before.
According to sources, the back and forth in the media has frustrated the King and wants Harry and Meghan to stop taking things personally.
“[Charles is] getting tired of the eternal fuss over every move Harry and Meghan make and it constantly impacting the entire Royal Family,” a source told Woman’s Day. “He can’t understand why Harry continues to push for conflict – he and Meghan see insults when there are none.”
A royal source explained that Harry would ask why the letter was issued in the first place and what was the need.
“Charles and his office have the perfect excuse in that they were answering government and military questions and once it had been sent to Harry and Meghan, the risk of it leaking and looking like some ‘secret plot’ was too high, they added.
Meanwhile, royalists, such as royal biographer Hugo Vickers, have claimed that this may have foiled Harry and Meghan’s plans to be “associated with the British royal family to secure their commercial deals”.