King Charles' stern warning to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: 'No public engagements allowed'

King Charles has reiterated that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not working royals and will not be permitted to engage in public royal activities. In a letter to over 100 officials, the King clarified that the couple remains private citizens, responding to reports of them planning to resume public engagements. The Palace has refused to be drawn into a further war of words with the Sussexes. The King has made his position clear on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's status after their return to the UK - and does not intend to get drawn into a war of words, a royal expert claimed today. Charles wrote to more than 100 senior officials across the country to clarify that his son and daughter-in-law are not working royals and reminding them that their HRH titles remain on ice. This followed reports detailing how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex planned to begin to reintegrate themselves into public life by resuming some public engagements. Once news of Charles's unprecedented letter became public there was an immediate response from the apparently peeved Sussexes, with a spokesman for the couple briefing: 'We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance. ' But royal author Robert Jobson told the Daily Mail that he is convinced this apparent gripe from the Sussexes will be met by stony silence from Buckingham Palace. Mr Jobson said: 'It has only been a couple of weeks since the Duke and Duchess returned to Britain but already there were reports of Meghan planning to do charity work and Harry taking on military commitments - as pseudo royals. It seemed a kind of mission creep. 'In the light of this it was felt that it was important for the King to clarify that nothing has changed with regard to the Duke and Duchess and that - at their own elective choice - they became and remain private individuals and not working royals. Harry was seen at Tower Bridge Studios in London in a post by the recording studios yesterday King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend The Braemar Gathering in the Highlands on Saturday King Charles with Harry at Windsor Castle after Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022 'Perhaps predictably there was an immediate response from the couple. But don't expect to see anything similar coming from the palace. 'The King has no intention of being drawn into responding further. He very pointedly made this clarification via the Lord Chamberlain to relevant individuals and bodies rather than in the form of a briefing to the media. 'The very last thing he will be minded to do in the light of their briefing a reaction to the media is to respond in kind. So there won't be any war of words, if you will. 'The King has made his position clear and will now draw a line under it. ' The Duke and Duchess are understood to have been surprised by the King's formal reiteration they will be treated as 'private citizens' and did not have enough time to clarify any points before the guidance was issued to the media. Harry's father Charles asked the Royal Household's most senior officer the Lord Chamberlain to write to senior stakeholders within the Government and the military setting out guidelines on their status. The letter was revealed to the media at 3.06pm yesterday. It is understood the contents were shared with Harry and Meghan's team about an hour before at 1.59pm. Team Sussex sent a response back to Buckingham Palace at 2.19pm asking whether the guidance had already gone out, in the hope of letting the duke and duchess know ahead of the media, and for the team to have the chance to clarify one or two points. Meanwhile, Harry, who was pictured at Tower Bridge Studios in London in an Instagram post by the recording studios yesterday, was in a meeting and could not be contacted until 3.09pm when he was told a letter had been drafted and his team were seeking guidance on whether it had been distributed. Team Sussex then received confirmation at 3.11pm it had already been sent to the media. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a David Foster Foundation event in Canada on August 7 Meghan's As Ever page posted the first picture of her since she returned to the UK yesterday William, Harry, Meghan and Charles at a Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in 2019 A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said: 'We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance. ' The disclosure of the private behind-the-scenes dealings is likely to fuel speculation of growing tension between the Sussexes and the Royal Household, just two weeks after Harry and Meghan returned to the UK. The letter was revealed ahead of a reported meeting this week of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is responsible for making decisions about royal security. It is understood the meeting is not taking place today. Harry is waiting to hear the conclusion of the Risk Management Board's threat assessment and Ravec is expected to decide at the meeting as to whether the Sussex family should be entitled to taxpayer-funded security now they live in the UK. Lord Benyon's letter reiterated the King's stance in August, when Harry and Meghan announced their return, that there would be no alteration to their role and status as private individuals and non-working royals