Harry's response to King Charles risks taking relationship ‘step backwards'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been warned that their latest response to King Charles could undo some of the progress made in repairing their relationship with the monarch.

Former royal butler Grant Harrold has claimed that the public back-and-forth over the Sussexes’ future status risks taking relations “a step backwards” and could leave lasting damage between Harry and his father.

Speaking to GB News on behalf of OLBG, Mr Harrold compared the latest exchange to the events of 2020, when the couple announced their decision to step away from life as working royals.

“It’s basically repeating itself,” he said, pointing to the familiar pattern of a Palace statement followed by a response from the Sussexes. 

“They’ve come back into the country and just picked up where they left off.”

The latest dispute began on Monday when the Lord Chamberlain, acting on the King’s instructions, sent a letter to senior figures across Government, the military and Lord Lieutenancies.

The correspondence was intended to remove any uncertainty over Harry and Meghan’s position, making clear that they remain private individuals rather than working members of the Royal Family.

According to the outlet, the letter reached the Sussexes at 1.59pm. 

Twenty minutes later, their team contacted Buckingham Palace to ask whether the guidance had already been circulated.

At 3.09pm, Harry was personally told that a letter had been prepared and that his representatives had been seeking clarification over its distribution. 

Two minutes later, they were informed that it had already been sent to the media.

Sources close to the Sussexes subsequently told GB News that the couple were “surprised” by the decision to distribute the letter.

For Mr Harrold, the exchange is a sign that the disagreement over Harry and Meghan’s place within the wider royal family is far from settled.

“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,” he said.

Mr Harrold further claimed that the situation could reinforce Prince William’s concerns about whether his brother can be trusted, saying he could imagine the Prince of Wales responding with an “I told you so”.

“He is a senior member of the Royal Family; it’s just this ‘working’ part that’s become very confusing,” Mr Harrold said.

He pointed to the unusual nature of the Sussexes’ position compared with previous royal departures, arguing that there is no obvious precedent for the arrangement.