Harry and Meghan surprised by royal letter affirming non-working status

Key Points:

• Prince Harry and Meghan were surprised by Buckingham Palace's release of a letter clarifying that they remain non-working members of the royal family despite their return to the UK, as they had little time to review or comment on it.
• The letter, sent on behalf of King Charles III, reiterated that the couple will not use formal royal titles and that any charity work will be conducted privately, with security decisions left to relevant police agencies.
• Harry and Meghan stepped back from official royal duties in 2020 to pursue commercial deals, a move Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III have maintained requires them to forgo royal positions.
• The couple's reaction to the letter underscores ongoing tensions about their UK presence, with concerns about them potentially creating a parallel royal court and issues surrounding their police protection.
• The decision on restoring their publicly funded police protection, canceled after they stepped back from royal roles, is pending review by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), expected to meet soon.