The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have returned to the UK with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, and have relocated to a private, non-royal residence outside London. Their children have been enrolled in British schools.
Last week, King Charles sent a letter to government departments, military officials and Lord Lieutenants outlining Harry and Meghan's standing following their return to Britain. The letter stated that the couple stepped down from representative duties in January 2020 and are no longer working members of the Royal Family. It also noted that their charitable work is a personal matter undertaken in their private capacity.
Letter details and reaction
The letter further emphasised that the couple's HRH titles remain suspended and are not to be used in official contexts. Harry and Meghan were reportedly "surprised" by the contents of the correspondence, which the Palace confirmed was delivered to them 67 minutes before its public release.
A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess stated: "We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance." Nevertheless, the couple maintain they are "happy to be back" on British soil, insisting that settling Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet into their new schools "remains their focus".
A source close to Harry and Meghan told the US magazine People: "Everything else will fall into place when the time is right. There is a lot to do. They have just moved halfway across the world and it's been really busy getting the kids settled. Their focus has been on that, and will remain on that, for the time being. They are happy to be back."
William and Kate's stance
Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly determined to steer clear of any "drama" surrounding Harry and Meghan's return, with a source close to the Prince and Princess of Wales suggesting they will "ignore" the matter in an effort to avoid escalating tensions.
This is a stark contrast to the early stages of Prince Harry's romance with Meghan, when the two royal couples were nicknamed the 'Fab Four' and appeared united. Yet in the years preceding Megxit, when Harry and Meghan stepped back from their duties as senior working royals and departed the UK to start afresh in California, friction had been mounting.
Kate and Meghan are understood to have initially clashed over bridesmaid dresses ahead of the former actress's wedding to the Duke of Sussex. Reports suggested that Meghan was left in tears and that Kate "grimaced" when the duchess borrowed her lipgloss. Consequently, in 2018 the two couples are believed to have arranged what they hoped would be a reconciliatory meeting.
The 2018 meeting and its aftermath
Yet tensions escalated to such an extent that Kate's fingers allegedly turned white. Harry recounts the episode in his memoir following an invitation for him and Meghan to join William and Kate for tea at their Kensington Palace residence. He details how both couples voiced their complaints, including Kate, who requested an apology from Meghan while clutching a leather sofa with such force her "fingers were white".
According to Harry's memoir Spare, Kate sought an apology from Meghan for suggesting she had "baby brain" and commenting on her hormones during pregnancy. The account then describes how Meghan said sorry and clarified this reflected how she communicates with her friends. However, the discussion deteriorated when Harry alleges William "pointed a finger at Meg", before purportedly declaring: "Well, it's rude, Meghan. These things are not done here." He claims Meghan replied: "If you don't mind, keep your finger out of my face."
A Channel 5 documentary, 'Meghan vs Kate: The Meeting That Changed the Monarchy', features royal commentators who regard this encounter as a pivotal moment for the Sussexes, triggering the sequence of events leading to Harry and Meghan's dramatic departure from royal duties.
The Daily Mail's Richard Kay suggests this gathering marked where "the seed of Megxit sewn" while fellow commentator Sarah Hewson observed: "Had that meeting been a success, had they been able to put their differences aside, things would have been very different indeed."
Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, remarked: "If only they'd listened. If Meghan had listened what was being said to her, she could have changed way back in 2018. And even if they had still quit the monarchy, they could have saved themselves so much pain and so much conflict. What happened in that room back in June 2018 was the defining element of the relationship between the two couples that ripped the monarchy to pieces."
Yet it appears that six years following Harry and Meghan's departure from the UK and their subsequent return, the strain between the two couples shows no indication of easing.
