Prince Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals after return to UK, King Charles reiterates

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Britain’s King Charles III has said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain non-working royals and will not be carrying out official engagements on behalf of the Crown, following their return to the United Kingdom after six years in the United States.

In a letter sent on behalf of the King on Monday, the UK’s Lord Chamberlain – the most senior officer of the British royal household – said 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.”

This position will “continue to be fully respected,” the top Palace official said in the letter, which was sent to senior members of the British government and military, as well as the Duke’s team. “There is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” he added.

The letter was issued to reaffirm the status of the Sussex family following several requests for clarity, as the royal family’s new diary period gets underway, CNN understands.

Prince Harry and Meghan left the UK for North America in 2020 after stepping back from royal life, and the years since have seen a public falling out with the wider royal family.

Despite this turbulent family history, the couple arrived back in the country late last month, along with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who have been enrolled in British schools.

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Five unanswered questions around Harry and Meghan’s surprise move back to Britain

According to the letter, all charitable work carried out by Harry and Meghan 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,” it said.

It added that 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.”

CNN has reached out to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.

CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed reporting.

霍莉·亚当斯/路透社

英国国王查尔斯三世表示，苏塞克斯公爵和公爵夫人从美国返回英国后，仍将保持非工作王室成员的身份，不会代表王室履行任何官方职责。

英国宫务大臣（英国王室最高官员）周一代表国王发出的一封信中表示，“众所周知，公爵和公爵夫人于 2020 年 1 月卸任代表君主履行职责，不再是王室成员。”

这位王室高级官员在致英国政府和军方高级成员以及苏塞克斯公爵团队的信中表示，这一立场将“继续得到充分尊重”。他还补充道：“苏塞克斯公爵和公爵夫人的现有地位没有任何改变。”

据 CNN 了解，这封信是为了在收到多次澄清请求后重申苏塞克斯一家的身份而发布的，此时王室的新日程安排期即将开始。

哈里王子和梅根于 2020 年退出王室生活后离开英国前往北美，此后的几年里，他们与王室其他成员公开决裂。

尽管家族历史坎坷，这对夫妇上个月底还是带着他们的两个孩子——阿奇王子和莉莉贝特公主——回到了英国，两个孩子都已在英国的学校就读。

克里斯·杰克逊/盖蒂图片社

关于哈里和梅根出人意料地搬回英国，还有五个未解之谜。

信中称，哈里和梅根所做的所有慈善工作都是“他们二人的个人事务，是以他们的私人身份进行的”。

“简而言之，他们的立场类似于拥有商业和慈善利益的私人公民，”声明中写道。

声明还补充说，所有与这对夫妇有关的信件和行政问题都应直接发送到他们的办公室，“该办公室将继续独立于王室运作”。

CNN已联系苏塞克斯公爵和公爵夫人寻求置评。

CNN的劳伦·赛义德-穆尔豪斯对此报道亦有贡献。