All Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's attempts to 'cling onto royal status' before King letter

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not taking the King's 'slap down' lightly.

On Monday, Buckingham Palace issued a letter of 'guidance' on King Charles ' behalf, confirming that the couple have not returned to the UK as working royals. A spokesman for the Sussexes quickly fired back at the announcement, claiming: "We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance". The publication of the letter, according to their rep, caught the Sussexes off-guard.

Then came the rebuttal. Palace sources said that this was 'incorrect', insisting that Harry and Meghan had received the letter before it was sent to senior Government officials, the military and Lord-Lieutenants. It's understood that the couple were told of the letter an hour before it was made public. They weren't, however, consulted on its contents.

The saga took another turn when an astounding briefing dropped via the Telegraph on Tuesday. It read: "The Duke is understood to have taken particular issue with the notion that the couple were to be treated as private citizens.

"If that were the case, it was claimed, such formal guidance would not be required. The Sussexes prefer the term 'public figures', and would have liked an acknowledgement that, on a personal level, they remained members of the Royal Family , despite no longer receiving public funding."

The war of words is painfully reminiscent of public briefing battles that became the cornerstone of their 2020 departure. But in the years since their self-exile to the US, the Sussexes have seemingly made it their mission to cling onto their royal status and honorifics on numerous occasions.

Critics suggest that their desire to be recognised as royals after spending years complaining about the very institution that awarded them with such accolades is glaringly hypocritical. But the couple argue that it is their hereditary right...

When Meghan graced the glossy cover of Harper's Bazaar last December, one detail from her in-depth interview went viral - the way she was announced when walking into a room.

The magazine writer visited a luxury New York home of one of Meghan's friends to conduct their interview and noted: "The house manager announces, 'Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,' even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house."

While the formality of being introduced by her full title in a relatively casual setting does not break royal protocol, it raised eyebrows given Meghan has previously insisted in her bombshell Oprah interview that the 'grandeur' of titles did not matter to her.

A close colleague of Harry once revealed how Meghan asked to be referred to during a meeting. Scott Moore was appointed chief executive of the Duke's Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 and met Meghan a year before during a "One Year To Go" event.

"I did make sure to ask how I should be addressing them when they get here," he explained, according to the Daily Mail.