Prince Harry and Meghan Markle faced a humiliating setback hours after King Charles reaffirmed their status as private citizens "to help avoid doubt or confusion". Royal historian Alexander Larman commented on GB News, calling the monarch's move a "brutal put down".
Historian's Reaction to the King's Statement
"I would call it a right royal knees-up, actually, because Harry's just been back a couple of weeks now, and we're seeing how it's all going for him. It's been a strange time, because a lot of people are uncertain about what he's doing - this sense that he's half in, half out," Larman noted.
"This has very much proved that he's not in at all, is he? This is basically the King saying, 'You're back, I'm delighted on a paternal level that you're back. But, as head of a firm, I'm making it very, very clear that you are not back in the Royal Family. You are not going to be a working royal; you're not going to be given any of the privileges that you might expect as a working royal.'"
No Special Treatment for the Couple
"This has been quite a brutal put down," Larman added. "And, while you are welcome to live in whatever type of very big house you are inhabiting in the Cotswolds, you can't expect any special treatment."
Larman described Charles' clarification - stated on his behalf in a letter to Government officials, the military and Lord Lieutenancies - as a "brutal putdown" and shared his belief that Meghan and Harry may have been expecting special treatment.
Uncertainty Over the Couple's Next Steps
"It's been a very strange few weeks for the Harry and Meghan return," the historian continued. "I found the whole thing hilarious when I first found out about it, but I think we're all asking: What's the agenda here? And what do they hope to get?"
Larman concluded, "They've been put in their place here, but what's coming next? What are we going to see as the next development?"
While Harry and Meghan's future plans have yet to be confirmed, King Charles reiterated that they are, at the very least, not working royals. "There is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," he explained in a statement released on Monday (7 September).
The monarch added: "Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used. 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."
