Victoria Arbiter: royal correspondent on King Charles clarifying Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals

Snippets leaked to the British press about royal couple Harry and Meghan's plans in the UK may have spurred King Charles to take a firm stance, according to new reports.

The King released a letter clarifying the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain private citizens and won't resume royal duties.

They can't use the titles His or Her Royal Highness.

Royal correspondent Victoria Arbiter says there'd been talk the pair wanted to ramp up their charity work. 

"The King has made it very clear that no, they are there furthering their own interests, they do not represent the monarchy or the Sovereign himself."  

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, a bit of tough news for Harry and Meghan.
King Charles has written a letter to officials in the
UK and also the Defence Force to clarify what the
couple's status are. They're private citizens and they are not
to be referred to as his and her Royal Highness.
Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter is with us. Hi, Victoria.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good afternoon to you.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Why has he done this?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, I think really it's a decisive move, but it's
one that was necessary because we needed really clear clarification
in terms of what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
plan to do moving forward and how they should be
viewed and how their engagements should be treated. So since
they arrived back in the UK, they've kept a very
low profile. Harry was seen yesterday. He was photographed at

(00:41):
a podcast studio in London. But we've been hearing snippets
of information from sources close to them. They've been spoon-feeding
favoured publications saying... They want to ramp up their charity work,
that Meghan wants to rekindle her charitable connections that she
had before they left back in 2020. And all of
that starts to muddy the waters a little bit in
terms of, are they representing the royal family? Are they

(01:03):
there on behalf of the king? And so with this letter,
the king has made it very clear that, no, they
are there furthering their own interests. They do not represent
the monarchy or the sovereign himself.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Am I reading it right that he has also made
it difficult for them to have public money spent on
them if they are invited to somewhere and hosted?

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Well, I think what he's done there is he's been
very clear that there shouldn't be any public money spent
on them because they are there in a private and
personal capacity. So what he has actually said is that
if there is any confusion or for the avoidance of
doubt that anyone that they are going to visit, if
there is a question over public money, that they should
direct those inquiries to Buckingham Palace. We have to remember

(01:44):
the king's sole responsibility, his first responsibility, is to protect
the institution of monarchy. And certainly when Harry and Meghan
were in Australia, they were doing all of those royal-type engagements,
so war memorials and visiting a children's hospital, sporting engagements.
And within minutes, Meghan was merchandising the outfits that she
was wearing. So that becomes a conflict of interest when

(02:04):
we're looking at commercial and charitable interest. So that's why
the King has also had to be very clear. If
public money is going to be spent, Harry and Meghan
cannot then capitalize on that for their own personal gain.
So I think it's actually very good that he's given
outlets and charitable heads the opportunity to contact Buckingham Palace
so that they've got all of the information necessary to

(02:26):
make the right decision.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Victoria, as always, it is a delight to talk to you.
Thank you for your time. That's Victoria Arbiter, royal expert.
They think Hazza and Meza are going to settle in
North Oxfordshire. And this is because Megan's been spotted at
the Soho Farmhouse, which is a luxury countryside retreat. She
arrived for... This is what they're in for. This is
what they're in for. She arrived for an early morning
coffee at the Comfy Farm Lounge before 9am, where she

(02:50):
was introduced to senior staff members by name. So from
here on in, it's basically... She picked her nose, and
it's in the Daily Mail, isn't it? And this is,
by the way, not even the Daily Mail. I think
I read this in the Telegraph, which is a reasonably
upstanding publication. The Cotswold Club is set in 100 acres
of countryside and features a luxury spa, 40 discreet guest cabins,
an indoor-outdoor pool, and is a hotspot for celebrities. Nearby,

(03:12):
they will have the Beckhams, Paul McCartney and his daughter,
Geri Halliwell, and Christian Horner. So that's basically everybody fun,
isn't it? For more from Heather Duplessy-Allen Drive, listen live
to News Talk ZB from 4 p.m. weekdays or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.