King Charles Blasted Over ‘Humiliating’ Harry and Meghan Decision as Expert Calls It a Mistake
King Charles III is getting criticism for keeping Prince Harry and Meghan Markle out of royal duties. Royal commentator Ian Pelham Turner thinks the King made the wrong call. He also called a palace letter confirming their status “humiliating” for the couple.
Turner shared his views with Fox News Digital after Harry and Markle returned to the U.K. The Sussexes stepped back from senior royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. The letter simply confirmed their existing status. It didn’t introduce any new rules. But Turner disagreed with the palace’s description of them as private citizens.
“Harry and Meghan are not private citizens — this was decreed by King Charles in the letter created by the Lord Chamberlain which, in my view, was humiliating for the couple,” he told the outlet. He also argued that the royal family, often called the Firm, made a mistake by not letting Harry and Markle return to royal duties and support the King.
“What that means is that Harry and Meghan can do whatever they want right now,” Turner said. Buckingham Palace released a letter from Lord Chamberlain Richard Benyon on September 7, 2026. He wrote it on Charles’ behalf and confirmed that Harry and Markle’s status hadn’t changed.
The letter went to senior government and military officials, as well as the King’s representatives across the U.K. It cleared up the couple’s position as they continued their public work. The letter stated, “There is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used.”
It also said their charity work was “a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity.” The letter added that “their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.” Turner then criticized the people advising the royal family. “It just goes to show at the moment that whoever is advising the royal family [is] constantly making mistakes,” he added.
He said that if the family “really wanted to control” the couple, they “would invite them back” and “actually control what’s going on.” Turner also questioned why Harry and Markle faced criticism for their Nottingham charity visits. On October 15, they stopped by the Community Recording Studio, Himmah Hub, and Epic Partners.
Their visits looked similar to official royal engagements, but they weren’t carrying out royal duties. “What is the difference?” Turner asked. He said Harry and Markle can still support charities and promote good causes on their own.
“In reality, they are allowed to do whatever they want to do now to actually promote their charities and good causes,” he noted. The royal family had already said no to a “half-in, half-out” deal when Harry and Markle stepped back in 2020. They were free to pursue their own projects. But they could no longer represent the monarch as working royals.
