A palace letter sent within days of the couple’s UK return has triggered a public back-and-forth, and prompted Uganda to withdraw from this year’s Invictus Games
Less than a fortnight into a UK visit by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, King Charles’s office issued a letter on Monday reminding officials across government, the military and the Lord Lieutenancies that the couple are “private citizens” rather than working members of the royal family, and should not be treated as such.
The letter, sent via the Lord Chamberlain to what the palace described as relevant senior stakeholders, was widely read as a pre-emptive move to head off any expectation that Harry and Meghan should receive the trappings of official royal engagements during their time in the country.
The Sussexes respond
A spokesperson for the couple pushed back publicly soon after, saying Harry and Meghan were surprised they hadn’t been given advance notice of the letter. A further briefing, given to the Telegraph, added that the couple prefer to be described as “public figures” rather than private citizens, and said they would have welcomed some acknowledgment that they remain personally part of the royal family, even though they no longer receive public funding.
Uganda pulls out of the Invictus Games
The dispute had an unexpected knock-on effect: Uganda’s military leadership announced it was withdrawing the country from this year’s Invictus Games, the international sporting event for wounded and injured service personnel founded by Prince Harry, saying it did not wish to take part in an event that lacked the King’s approval.
Context
The exchange comes against a backdrop of a strained relationship between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family since Harry and Meghan stepped back from official duties in 2020 and relocated abroad. The couple have spoken publicly on multiple past occasions about their difficulties with royal life and the British press, making their decision to spend extended time back in the UK notable in itself, and ensuring renewed public and media attention on the family dynamic whenever they visit.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor representatives for the Sussexes have indicated the matter is resolved, and further public statements from either side are considered likely given the pattern of this and previous disputes between the two camps.
Based on reporting in The Guardian, September 11, 2026, and the Telegraph.
