LONDON — King Charles III authorized a guidance letter to senior British officials Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, reconfirming that Prince Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the royal family after relocating back to the United Kingdom, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.

The letter, sent by the Lord Chamberlain and shared with Harry’s team as well as government, military, and local royal representatives, said that after the couple stepped down from representative duties in 2020 they “are no longer working Members of The Royal Family.”

“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,” the letter said, according to Reuters.

“It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” it continued. “The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”

The AP account of the same guidance said the couple will continue to refrain from using their royal titles as they have since stepping back in 2020, that any charity work is private, and that operational security decisions remain matters for the relevant police agencies. Questions involving public funds or official courtesies, the Lord Chamberlain wrote, should be directed to Buckingham Palace.

Harry, Meghan, and their children returned to Britain late last month after years based in California. The clarification lands amid lingering disputes over publicly funded police protection and palace concern — noted by the AP — that an ambiguous status could be read as a parallel royal court. Buckingham Palace did not immediately comment beyond the letter’s circulation, Reuters said.

Sources