Prince Harry, Meghan Markle React To Palace Decision

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly “a little surprised” after Buckingham Palace released a letter on Monday clarifying the their position as non-working royals.

The letter, which was sent on behalf of King Charles by the Lord Chamberlain, reiterated the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were still “private citizens,” despite their recent move back to the U.K. with their children.

“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,” the letter stated.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes told BBC that they “were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance,” though palace sources also told the publication that the couple was informed about the letter before it was released.

“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 reads, adding that the position “will continue to be fully respected.”

“It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used,” the letter says, while also specifying that “The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”

The letter also addressed funding and security questions raised about the couple, given their recent move.

“Any specific questions from official and State organisations about the courtesies which should be extended to the Duke and Duchess, and particularly where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed to Buckingham Palace,” the statement said.

“Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant Police authorities. All correspondence and administrative questions relating to the couple should be sent directly to their office, which will continue to operate separately from The Royal Household.”

Multiple outlets reported that the couple’s team received the letter and was only given a little over an hour before it was published.

HuffPost reached out to a spokesperson for the Sussexes for further comment, as well as Buckingham Palace, though this is not typically something that the palace comments on.