King Charles confirms Harry and Meghan will not be working royals after U.K. return

LONDON — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will remain nonworking members of Britain’s royal family after their return to the U.K., a letter sent on behalf of King Charles III said Monday. The couple who last month moved from California back to Britain for an “extended” stay with their children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, will still not be able to use the titles of His and Her Royal Highness, according to the letter signed by the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household. “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 read. “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,” it added. A Buckingham Palace source confirmed to NBC News that the letter had been shared with Harry’s team on Monday. It was put into the public domain because it would likely have leaked anyway and they wanted to avoid claims of secrecy around what it contained, they said. NBC News has reached out to the Sussexes for comment. The letter from Lord Chamberlain went on to say that “their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used.” It added 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.” The letter was released “to help avoid doubt or confusion,” after “a number of requests for guidance.” Harry and Meghan rattled the royal family when they opted to step down as working royals six years ago, eventually choosing a quieter life in Montecito, an affluent coastal enclave in Santa Barbara. Relations with the royal family have been strained since then, worsened in part by explosive allegations of racism and bullying made by the couple in their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” and in Harry’s memoir, “Spare.” After few signs of a royal rapprochement, Britain was shocked last month when it emerged they were planning a return and reports in British media indicated that Archie and Lilibet had been enrolled in schools in the country. A source close to the couple told NBC News at the time that they were moving back for an “extended period” of time. The location of their new home has not been disclosed and questions remain over what security arrangements will be in place for the couple, after a protracted legal battle between Harry and the British government over the removal of their security protection. Harry’s return to Britain also comes after he and several other claimants were ordered to pay a combined 34.5 million pounds ($46 million) to Associated Newspapers, the publisher of The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, after losing a High Court battle over alleged breaches of privacy. It was one of several salvos between Harry and the British press, which went into overdrive after they announced their return, with front pages dominated by unconfirmed reports that Meghan could return to acting for the first time since she departed the television show “Suits” ahead of her 2018 wedding to Harry.