Prince Harry has been photographed for the first time since he and Meghan returned to the UK, with pictures showing him at a central London podcast studio on Friday. The images emerged as King Charles issued an unprecedented letter making clear the Sussexes are not working royals and remain private citizens despite their move back to the UK.
The Duke of Sussex was pictured signing a wall at Tower Bridge Studios in London, where several high-profile video podcasts are filmed, including Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO and The Big Pitch by comedian Jimmy Carr. It is unclear why he was visiting.
First photos since return
The studios posted two pictures of the Duke of Sussex on its Instagram account, and said: "Thank you Prince Harry for choosing Tower Bridge Studios! It was an absolute pleasure to have you in our studios and signing our wall. We look forward to welcoming your back again."
The snaps mark the first photos of Harry since he and his family came back to live in the UK for an "extended period", landing in the country at the end of last month.
King's letter on royal status
The guidance was sent under the King's instructions by his most senior official, the Lord Chamberlain, to offer clarity over Harry and Meghan's royal status after requests for guidance. It has been issued to those in government, the military and lord lieutenants up and down the country.
The letter from royal aide Lord Benyon, whose office is responsible for organising the King's ceremonial and public-facing events, makes clear the duke and duchess do not use their HRH styles and any operational security issues involving them should be directed to the relevant police authorities.
The letter states: "Following the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to relocate to the UK, we have received a number of requests for guidance. To help avoid doubt or confusion, The King has directed that the following information be shared.
"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.
"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."
Background and next steps
The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 for personal and financial reasons but returned to the UK on August 26 with rumours rife as to the reason. In the run up to their return, the King was said to be glad to be able to spend more time with the family, but remained adamant they would not be working royals and there was no half-in, half-out option.
Harry is expected to carry out his annual series of engagements around the WellChild awards, normally held in mid-September, and it has been reported Meghan is aiming to rekindle her work with her UK-based charities.
