A letter issued at the King's request outlining Prince Harry and Meghan's 'private citizen' position has sparked a war of words between Team Sussex and Buckingham Palace. Royal expert Jennie Bond says there is only one way for Prince Harry to fix the royal rift before it becomes poisonous.
Letter sparks disagreement
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were surprised not to have been told about the letter's release in advance. The King asked the Lord Chamberlain, the Royal Household's most senior officer, to write to senior stakeholders within the Government and the military, setting out guidelines on his son and daughter-in-law's non-working royal status.
It is understood the Sussex team, who were passed the letter around an hour before it was made public, did not have enough time to clarify any points before the guidance was issued to the media. It then emerged that Harry and Meghan prefer the term 'public figures' and would have liked an acknowledgement that they remain members of the royal family.
Growing tension
The back and forth and disclosure of the private behind-the-scenes dealings is likely to fuel speculation of growing tension between the Sussexes and the Royal Household, just two weeks after Harry and Meghan returned to the UK.
Jennie Bond, the former BBC royal correspondent, told the Mirror: "We don't know what goes on between four walls or during phone conversations. But it seems to me that father and son need to have a full, gloves-off, heart-to-heart.
"I get the impression that their meetings so far have been polite and genteel, probably glossing over the issues that have driven them apart. It's only a thought, because I don't know the truth of their relationship, but perhaps a frank – even angry – conversation might help clear the air and help them sort out how they proceed from here."
Return to the UK
The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 amid the Megxit crisis and moved to the US for a new life of personal and financial freedom. But the couple has now moved back for an 'extended period', enrolling their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools, amid rumours Meghan is to return to acting while based in the UK.
Some have compared the seemingly competing briefings from both sides to that of the 'War of the Waleses' in the 1990s amid the bitter separation and divorce of the then Prince Charles and his former late wife, Princess Diana.
Jennie covered the Royal Family in depth during that time. And she explained: "The briefings do remind me of the war of the Wales's. The two sides can't even seem to agree on whether the letter was shown to Harry and Meghan in reasonable time or not.
"If they're not careful it will all become poisonous. The drama really needs to end. There are much more important things in the world for us all to worry about."
