Sept. 14, 2026

King Charles Stops Speaking to Prince Harry After Palace Declares the Sussexes “Private Citizens”

Show Notes
Transcript

Why have King Charles III and Prince Harry reportedly stopped speaking directly? A new report claims their weekly telephone calls ended after a heated dispute over Buckingham Palace’s formal reminder that Harry and Meghan Markle are private citizens—not working royals and not representatives of the King.

Has Harry returned to Britain angrier than ever? Are the Sussexes attempting to maintain a “quasi-royal” public life through charity appearances and unofficial international tours? And why does the Palace believe it must draw a clear line between Harry’s private work and official Royal Family duties?

We also examine Harry’s first major British appearances since returning, including the WellChild Awards, the Invictus Spirit Awards and the launch of INSPIRE. Why is he immediately traveling to New York for the Clinton Global Initiative—and will Meghan join him?

Plus, Harry and Meghan’s children have entered the British school system without a single photograph emerging. After years of warnings about privacy, security and life in a “zoo,” does the silence prove that an ordinary British school run was possible after all?

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Kalaroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I

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am your host, Mark Rancis. Prince Harry's return to Britain

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has reportedly not brought the fresh start some of his

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friends were hoping for, with one royal commentator claiming the

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Duke remains as angry with the royal establishment as he

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was when he left in 2020. Charlotte Griffiths of the

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Daily Mail speaking on the Royalist podcast says, says some

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of Harry's friends had hoped his return might bring a

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change in attitude. Well, I can tell you his head

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is exactly where it pretty much was in 2020 when

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he left. That's been so dispiriting for friends of mine

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on his outer circle and some in his inner circle,

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who said they were sort of hoping that Harry would

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come back to the UK and there'd be this new bright-eyed,

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bushy tail, possibly a tail between his legs, Prince Harry

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feeling contrite, friendly, warm and fuzzy. And that is not

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the case. He's angry. He's definitely infuriated with the institution,

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just as he ever was. Harry and King Charles have

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reportedly stopped speaking directly following a heated phone call over

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the palace's decision to formally restate Harry and Meghan's status

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as private citizens. According to an unnamed royal source, Harry

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and Charles have been speaking by phone about once a

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week since the Sussexes returned to Britain. Those conversations were

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described as relatively ordinary discussions about Archie and Lilibet, their

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schooling and arrangements for the king to see his grandchildren.

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But News 24 reports that direct contact has now stopped

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following the royal household's letter, emphasising that Harry and Meghan

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are not working royals and do not represent the king.

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The source said, Their phone calls had been on a

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weekly basis and were nothing more than a typical exchange

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of pleasantries about the kids, their schooling and various logistics

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around seeing them. But since the Sussex statement, Charles is

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not engaging with Harry directly until Cooler heads prevail. Harry

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has confirmed his first series of public appearances since moving

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his family back to Britain with three charity engagements in September,

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followed immediately by a trip to New York. Harry will

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attend the Well Child Awards in London on September 21st,

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continuing a relationship with the charity that now stretches back

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18 years. Well Child supports seriously ill children and their families,

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including helping children with complex medical needs receive care at home.

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rather than spending extended periods in hospital. This year's ceremony

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has additional significance because it marks the 20th anniversary of

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the Well Child Nurse Programme. Harry said, It is always

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a privilege to be part of the Well Child Awards

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and to meet the extraordinary children, young people, families and

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professionals whose courage and determination inspire us all. This year

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feels particularly special as we celebrate 20 years of the

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Well Child Nurse Programme Two decades of supporting thousands of

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children and families and helping them to live more of

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their lives at home. Before the ceremony, Harry will hold

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a private reception with the children being honoured and their families.

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He is also expected to present the Inspirational Child Award

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for children between four and six years old and deliver

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a speech. Two other appearances are also planned during September.

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Harry is expected at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards and

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the launch of the Inspire Educational Initiative Awards. Then on

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September 22nd, the day after the Wellchild Awards, Harry is

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scheduled to leave Britain for New York, where he will

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attend the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. There

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is no confirmation that Meghan will accompany him to any

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of the British events or travel with him to New York.

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The appearances are interesting because they provide the first real

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indication of what Harry's public life in Britain may look

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like after his return. In the Express, Chris Richards explains

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why King Charles just showed Harry and Meghan the gloves

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are off. Do as you're told, which is rights. For years,

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King Charles has bent over backwards for Prince Harry, despite

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his son criticising him in his memoir, Spare, and calling

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his wife, Queen Camilla, a wicked stepmother. I personally think

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King Charles should have dragged Harry by the scruff of

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his neck and made him apologise to his brother, Prince William,

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and his sister-in-law, Princess Catherine, face to face for publicly

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shredding them in Spare. It's been like scoring into an

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empty net for Harry for far too long. as they

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exploited the royal family's never-complained-never-explained mantra, knowing Charles, William and

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Kate are in no position to respond to his unproven claims.

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With Harry, Meghan and Prince Archie and Prince Lilibet now

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back on our shores, the first thing King Charles has

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to do is set in stone some ground rules on

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what the Sussexes can and cannot do. The second is

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to mediate the Cold War between the two boys and

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between Kate and Meghan. That may be more of a

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long-term ambition. So back to the mission number one. and

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to let Meghan and Harry know exactly where they stand,

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and that is exactly what he did on Monday. Harry

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and Meghan won't be happy about the statement, but then again,

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why should they? The truth hurts sometimes. If they make

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a celebrity guest appearance, they are not doing so as

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representatives of the royal family that will sting the Sussexes.

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So far this year, they have tested the water by

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doing a faux royal trip to Jordan and then a

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mini tour of Australia. Both trips gave the impression to

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the unaware that they were working royals. The letter also

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stresses that Harry and Meghan should not be referred to

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as his and her royal highness, and the statement goes

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on to add their position is akin to private citizens.

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Was it harsh? Some may say so. I don't. King

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Charles has made the royal family's position crystal clear. It's

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a bold message, but a necessary one, because sadly, Harry

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and Meghan don't do subtle. LBC presenter Shella Fogarty weighed

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in on the Sussexes' quasi-royal status. Look at their recent

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visit to Australia. It was a success, but it looked

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like a royal tour. It walked like a royal tour.

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It was a royal tour. And I suspect that's part

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of what the King's letter was trying to address. I

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think Harry and Meghan will find more and more examples

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of this. I think it's going to get ugly. Because

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they insist on living a life that looks almost exactly

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like that of working members of the royal family, while

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also insisting they aren't. An unnamed source previously told Us Weekly...

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There is a quasi-royal vibe with these trips, and it's confusing.

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It seems that they are trading on old connections in

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a way that shouldn't be acceptable because they are no

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longer working members of the royal family. It's taking steps forward,

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then steps back. Their media omnipresence is something that has

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created continued strain. It's been a barrier to repair the relationship.

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Just when the flames of controversy die down, they have

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an uncanny ability to start another one. Harry and Meghan

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stepped away from working royal life in 2020 and subsequently

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built independent, charitable and commercial ventures in the US. Their

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return to Britain has not changed that arrangement, with Charles

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making clear that they remain outside the group of royals

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carrying out official duties on behalf of the Crown. More

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Palace in just a moment. For the news.com.au, Daniela Elsa writes,

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Sometimes it's the nothing that is newsworthy. No photos, no

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press releases, no need to get out the metal press

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pen and corral the fourth estate like barnyard animals liable

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to break free. In a turn of events, no person

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with even the vaguest familiarity with Prince Harry and Meghan,

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the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's six years of signature

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UK sucks rhetoric would ever have predicted their family is

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now part of the British school system. For years they

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laid out the impossibility of life in the not-so-merry England.

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The safety concerns... privacy, the palace, yet now UK life

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is not only possible but a yearning deeply to be

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devoted for them. In 2021, Harry described royal life as

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a mix between the Truman Show and living in a zoo.

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I do not want to be a part of this,

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Harry said of royal life in 2021, until he seemingly did.

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Harry's September calendar holds a series of charity engagements and

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outings on behalf of his British patronage's And Meghan got

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into a strop with Buckingham Palace this week after the

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firm reminded everyone that they were nought but private citizens.

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Sounds like he wants to be part of something. In 2024,

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Harry talked about how he was hugely grateful to raise

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their kids in the US and that their California life

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meant that he was able to do the things I'm

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able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn't

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be able to do in the UK. Until he seemingly

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kind of could. And so far, what is remarkable is

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the nothing thing. There has not been one single solitary photo, paparazzi,

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or even passerby of Meghan, even though she has been

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out and about, according to the royalist Tom Sykes, who

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has reported she was spied at Soho Farmhouse, where a

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considerable fanfare was made of her. There you have it.

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If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue

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five bucks a month, we appreciate your support. I'm Mark Francis.

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My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. And

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good times.

King Charles Stops Speaking to Prince Harry After Palace Declares the Sussexes “Private Citizens”

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