King Charles confirms Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals after U.K. return

King Charles III issued a formal letter on Monday, September 7, 2026, clarifying that Prince Harry and Meghan will remain non-working members of the royal family following their return to Britain from California, according to NBC News and the BBC.

The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household, sent the letter to Prince Harry's team, government departments, military officials, and Lord Lieutenants, the monarch's local representatives involved in royal visits and engagements. A Buckingham Palace source confirmed to NBC News that the letter had been shared with Harry's team on Monday and told the outlet the palace released it publicly because it would likely have leaked otherwise.

The letter restates the terms of the 2020 Sandringham Agreement, in which Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals and agreed they could not maintain a "half-in and half-out" status, meaning they could not pursue commercial interests while continuing royal duties. "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," the letter states, according to NBC News. "Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used."

The palace said the letter was issued "to help avoid doubt or confusion" after "a number of requests for guidance," per NBC News. Lord Lieutenants and other officials have been instructed to direct questions about the reception to be given to the Sussexes, particularly where public funds might be required, to Buckingham Palace. The letter also states that any operational security issues should be directed to relevant police authorities, which fall under the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (known as Ravec), the body that decides security for royals and public figures.

Harry and Meghan moved from California back to Britain last month for an "extended" stay, according to NBC News. Their children, Archie (age 7) and Lilibet (age 5), have been enrolled in schools in the U.K., though the location of the family's new home has not been disclosed. The couple's return came after six years in California, where they have established financial independence through Harry's best-selling memoir "Spare" and Meghan's online food range "As Ever," per the BBC.

The letter clarifies that any charitable work undertaken by the couple, including Harry's expected support for the Invictus Games, scheduled to be held in Birmingham in 2027, and reports, per the BBC, that Meghan is considering a return to acting, will be "a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity." The palace stated: "In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests." The letter emphasizes that any engagements the Sussexes carry out will not represent the Royal Family.

Relations with the royal family have been strained since the 2020 step-down, and have been further troubled by allegations the couple made in their Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan" and in Harry's memoir "Spare," according to NBC News. Additional unresolved tensions include a protracted legal battle with the British government over security protection and a High Court judgment that ordered Harry and several other claimants to pay a combined 34.5 million pounds ($46 million) to Associated Newspapers after losing a privacy case, per NBC News.

The BBC reported that front pages of British media were dominated by unconfirmed reports that Meghan could return to acting for the first time since departing the television show "Suits" ahead of her 2018 wedding to Harry.