King Charles has taken the unusual step of putting something in writing about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – and the message is essentially: welcome back, but nothing has changed.

Following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s surprise return to live in the UK after six years in the United States, Buckingham Palace has issued a formal letter clarifying exactly where the couple now stands within the Royal Family.

And for anyone wondering whether their homecoming might herald Harry and Meghan’s return to royal duties, the answer is a fairly emphatic no.

The letter, issued by Lord Chamberlain Richard Benyon on behalf of the King, was sent to senior government and military officials as well as the King’s representatives around Britain after the Palace reportedly received numerous inquiries about the Sussexes’ status.

“To help avoid doubt or confusion, The King has directed that the following information be shared,” the letter said.

It then reiterated the arrangement first established when Harry and Meghan stepped back from official royal life in 2020.

“There is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” the letter said, adding that their styles as His and Her Royal Highness “remain in abeyance and are not used”.

Their charity work, meanwhile, is very much their own business.

“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity,” the letter stated.

“In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”

Admittedly, “private citizens” is a slightly unusual description for a couple known around the world as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose children are Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet and whose father is the King. But in royal terms, the distinction is an important one.

The couple returned to Britain with their children last month after living in California since 2020. Their unexpected move immediately raised questions about whether Harry and Meghan might once again undertake duties connected to the monarchy.

The King’s letter appears designed to put those questions to bed before the Sussexes begin making more public and charitable appearances in Britain.

It also makes clear that the couple’s office will continue to operate separately from the Royal Household, while correspondence and administrative matters concerning them should be directed to their own representatives.

Security remains a separate – and potentially much thornier – issue.

Harry has spent years fighting over the level of police protection available to him and his family when in Britain. The committee responsible for determining their security arrangements is expected to consider the issue following the family’s return.

Any questions from official organisations involving “recourse to public funds”, meanwhile, should still be directed to Buckingham Palace.

The public clarification has apparently come as something of a surprise to Harry and Meghan themselves.

According to reports, their representatives were given only a little over an hour’s notice before the letter was released to the media, and Harry was reportedly in a meeting and could not be reached until around the time it became public. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed they were surprised by how the announcement had been handled.

Whether the Sussexes’ return eventually helps repair their famously strained relationship with the rest of the Royal Family remains another question entirely.

Harry’s relationship with his father is reported to have improved following recent meetings, although his relationship with older brother Prince William is still widely described as strained.

For now, however, Charles has made one thing perfectly clear: moving back to Britain does not mean moving back into the family business.

Even when the family business happens to be a monarchy.

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