Harry and Meghan cannot return to royal duties

Buckingham Palace says Harry and Meghan cannot resume royal duties

A Buckingham Palace letter sent on Monday said Prince Harry and Meghan cannot return as working members of the Royal Family. The couple will not be able to use their Royal Highness titles and will retain their status as private citizens.

Scraper SystemSeptember 08, 2026, 01:53 PM

Buckingham Palace says Harry and Meghan cannot resume royal duties

Prince Harry and Meghan cannot serve as working members of the British Royal Family, according to a letter sent by Buckingham Palace on Monday. The letter said the couple cannot use their "Royal Highness" titles and will remain private citizens.

The letter was sent to Harry’s team, government departments, military officials, personnel involved in government visits and official events, and lord lieutenants, the monarch’s local representatives.

The Sandringham Agreement determines their status

Buckingham Palace stressed that the Sandringham Agreement, reached when Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duties in 2020, remains in effect. The agreement does not allow for a "half-in, half-out" status in which royal duties and commercial activities are carried out simultaneously.

The couple left the ranks of the Royal Family’s working members in 2020 after stepping back from official engagements on behalf of the monarch. The letter said Harry and Meghan’s charitable work was personal in nature and that they carried out those activities in their private capacities.

Harry and Meghan returned to the UK on August 26

The decision came after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to the UK on August 26 with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. After stepping down from their senior roles as working members of the Royal Family, the couple later began living in California.

Prince Archie is 7 years old, while Princess Lilibet is 5.