Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Warned Latest Move Could Undo Progress With King Charles
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been warned that their latest public response to King Charles could threaten progress reportedly made in repairing Harry’s relationship with his father following the Sussexes return to Britain.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold believes the public back-and-forth surrounding Harry and Meghan’s status risks taking relations “a step backwards,” potentially creating another obstacle just as hopes of a father-son reconciliation had begun growing.
Speaking to GB News on behalf of OLBG, Harrold compared the latest disagreement with events surrounding the Sussexes’ departure from working royal life in 2020, suggesting familiar communication problems have quickly resurfaced.
“It’s basically repeating itself,” he said, pointing towards a pattern in which an official Palace communication is followed by a public reaction from Harry and Meghan’s representatives.
“They’ve come back into the country and just picked up where they left off,” Harrold added, as questions continue about how the Sussexes will operate while living in Britain without representing the monarchy.
The latest controversy began when the Lord Chamberlain, acting on Charles’ instructions, sent correspondence to senior figures across Government, the military and Lord Lieutenancies clarifying the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s existing position.
The letter reiterated that Harry and Meghan are not working members of the royal family and operate independently in their charitable and commercial activities, effectively drawing a clear boundary between their projects and official royal duties.
According to the report, the Sussexes received the letter at 1.59pm. Twenty minutes later, their representatives contacted Buckingham Palace seeking clarification about whether the guidance had already been circulated.
At 3.09pm, Harry was reportedly personally informed that the letter had been prepared and that his representatives had been asking about its distribution. Just two minutes later, they were told it had already reached the media.
Sources close to Harry and Meghan subsequently said the couple were “surprised” by how the communication was handled, creating another round of competing narratives between the Sussex camp and Palace sources.
Harrold believes that disagreement demonstrates unresolved problems behind the scenes. “The fact the King has expressed how he sees the situation, and they’ve come out and said they see it differently, shows that things are far from sorted behind Palace walls,” he said.
“While relations had begun to improve between the King and his youngest son, this could really be a step backwards,” the former royal butler warned, suggesting the episode could damage their fragile progress.
Harrold also speculated that the controversy could reinforce Prince William’s reported concerns about trusting his younger brother, even imagining that the Prince of Wales might react to the latest developments with an “I told you so.”
However, Harrold acknowledged the unusual nature of Harry’s position, describing him as a senior member of the royal family while highlighting confusion surrounding the word “working.” Whether the latest dispute causes lasting damage remains uncertain, but the public disagreement has again exposed the delicate relationship Harry must navigate with Charles and the wider monarchy.
