Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Push Back Against ‘Private Citizens’ Label as Royal Tensions Resurface

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly objected to being described as “private citizens” following their return to the United Kingdom, with one report suggesting the couple could explore a formal challenge if they believe the wording has consequences beyond royal protocol.

The dispute comes just days after King Charles III formally reaffirmed that his son and daughter-in-law remain non-working members of the Royal Family. A letter issued on the King’s behalf on September 7 made clear that their return to Britain has not changed the arrangement established after they stepped back from royal duties in 2020.

According to RadarOnline, people familiar with Harry and Meghan’s position believe the description does not accurately reflect their status as internationally recognized public figures. The couple continue to attract substantial media attention and carry out charitable and commercial work independently.

Why Harry and Meghan object to the wording

The disagreement appears to center on the distinction between being a private citizen and remaining a highly visible public figure.

A source cited by RadarOnline said Harry and Meghan are considering whether the language used in official correspondence properly reflects their position. If they conclude that the wording has implications beyond palace protocol, the couple could consider ways to challenge or clarify it. Those options could range from making a public statement to pursuing a legal route, although no legal action has been announced.

The report also said the couple believe their public profile is relevant because they continue to undertake charitable work, maintain patronages and attract significant attention wherever they appear.

The issue is particularly sensitive because Harry has spent years challenging aspects of his security arrangements in Britain. RadarOnline has reported that the distinction between “private citizens” and “public figures” may have a connection to that continuing dispute, while also acknowledging that a change in terminology would not automatically entitle Harry or his family to taxpayer-funded protection.

For now, however, there is no indication that the Sussexes have launched a legal challenge over the wording.

King Charles makes their position clear

The controversy began with a letter sent by Lord Chamberlain Lord Benyon to senior government and military officials on behalf of King Charles on September 7.

The correspondence reiterated that Harry and Meghan stepped away from official royal duties in January 2020 and remain outside the working Royal Family. Their HRH styles remain in abeyance and are not used.

The letter also drew a clear line between the couple’s independent activities and the work of working members of the monarchy. Their charitable projects are regarded as personal endeavors, carried out in a private capacity, while their commercial activities remain separate from official royal responsibilities.

The palace’s decision to issue the clarification was intended to prevent confusion among government departments, military officials and other representatives who could encounter Harry and Meghan during their time in Britain.

Harry and Meghan’s representatives were reportedly caught off guard by the timing.

A spokesperson told the BBC that the couple were “a little surprised” they had not been informed about the letter in advance. Reports indicate that their team had very little time to respond before the correspondence was made public.

Harry’s return to public life in Britain

The timing of the dispute is significant because Harry is preparing for a series of public appearances in Britain.

On September 17, he is due to attend the Invictus Spirit Awards and launch the Invictus education initiative INSPIRE. He will then attend the WellChild Awards in London on September 21. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the charity’s WellChild Nurse programme.

Harry is also scheduled to travel to New York on September 22 for the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting.

These appearances are taking place in a country where Harry and Meghan have now returned after six years in California, yet they are doing so without resuming their former roles as working royals.

That distinction is at the heart of the current disagreement. Harry can continue his charitable work and appear publicly, but those activities do not mean he is representing King Charles or the monarchy in an official capacity.

The situation has therefore created an unusual balance: Harry remains one of the world’s most recognizable members of the British royal family, while officially operating outside the working monarchy.

Meghan is focused on Archie and Lilibet

While Harry prepares for his upcoming engagements, Meghan has been concentrating on the couple’s children.

Harry, Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet returned to Britain on August 26. Archie and Lilibet have since started the new school year in the UK, marking their first experience attending school in Britain after spending their childhood in California.

A source told People that settling the children into their new surroundings has been the family’s main priority.

Meghan is reportedly pleased that Archie and Lilibet can experience both their British and American backgrounds, while Harry has wanted the children to maintain a connection with their British heritage.

The family’s return has not, however, changed their royal status. They are establishing a private life in Britain rather than returning to royal duties, while continuing their independent activities.

The decision that changed their relationship with the monarchy

Harry and Meghan announced on January 8, 2020, that they intended to step back from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family.

They said they wanted to work toward financial independence while continuing to support Queen Elizabeth II. Discussions followed at Sandringham, where the family worked out the terms of their departure.

The agreement ultimately required Harry and Meghan to stop carrying out official royal duties. They would no longer receive public funding for those duties, and they would not use their HRH styles as working members of the Royal Family. At the same time, they were allowed to maintain private patronages and associations.

The arrangement was designed to give the couple greater independence while maintaining a clear separation between their private work and the official responsibilities of the monarchy.

That distinction remains in place more than six years later.

Their return to Britain has therefore not reopened the question of whether they are working royals. King Charles’ latest letter has instead reinforced the existing arrangement at a moment when Harry and Meghan are once again preparing for a series of highly visible appearances.

Their concerns about public life began before Megxit

Long before their 2020 departure, Harry and Meghan had spoken openly about the pressures surrounding their position within the Royal Family and the British media.

In October 2019, during the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan spoke with journalist Tom Bradby about the strain she was experiencing as a new mother and member of the Royal Family.

She told Bradby that “not many people have asked if I’m okay,” describing the experience as difficult behind the scenes.

Harry also discussed the way the media treated his family, particularly the experience of his mother, Princess Diana. He made clear that he did not want what happened to Diana to be repeated with Meghan.

At the time, the comments offered an early indication of the growing tension surrounding the couple and their relationship with the British press.

Oprah interview brought their grievances into the open

The couple went on to speak much more directly about their experiences during their March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Meghan said she had reached a point during her time as a working royal when she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” and claimed that she had been unable to obtain the help she needed.

Harry, meanwhile, described his greatest concern as “history repeating itself,” drawing a direct connection between Meghan’s experience and what his mother had faced.

The interview marked a major escalation in the couple’s public discussion of life inside the Royal Family and their relationship with the British media.

They continued that account in their 2022 Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan. Harry argued that the couple had never been given the opportunity to tell their story on their own terms, saying, “We’ve never been allowed to tell our story.”

The following year, Harry went further in his memoir Spare, published in January 2023.

The book detailed his strained relationships with members of his family and included a series of claims about the treatment of Harry and Meghan, as well as his relationship with the British press. Harry presented the memoir as an effort to tell his own version of events after years of what he described as inaccurate or distorted accounts about him.

A new chapter, but the old dispute remains

Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain has brought them physically closer to the Royal Family again, but it has not restored their former position within it.

Their children are now attending school in Britain, Harry is preparing for several charitable appearances, and Meghan is helping the family settle into life in the UK. At the same time, King Charles has taken the unusual step of formally reminding officials that the couple remain non-working royals and should be treated accordingly.

That leaves the Sussexes facing a complicated reality.

They remain internationally recognized figures with significant public and charitable profiles. They can pursue independent causes and commercial projects. But under the arrangement established after their 2020 departure, they do so without representing the Crown.

For now, the reported disagreement over the phrase “private citizens” remains just that: a dispute over how Harry and Meghan are officially characterized. Whether it develops into a public statement, a request for clarification or a legal challenge remains uncertain.