Prince Harry living 'half-in, half-out' life Queen Elizabeth refused to support
Prince Harry living 'half-in, half-out' life Queen Elizabeth refused to support
Hannah Furnell Wed, September 9, 2026 at 1:52 PM UTC
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Prince Harry may be living a life that Queen Elizabeth would not have supported.
On Monday, September 7, Buckingham Palace released a definitive letter on behalf of King Charles, reiterating that the 41-year-old Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, 45, will remain non-working members of the Royal Family following their relocation back to the U.K. last month with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
As the Sussexes settle into this new stage of their lives, royal experts speculate they could finally be living the "half-in, half-out" life they proposed six years ago before their royal exit, which the late queen rejected. This comes as Harry could make a strange career move after Charles's stern letter.
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"Harry may feel vindicated because, superficially, he has created something resembling the freedom he originally wanted," Kinsey Schofield, host of the YouTube show Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, told Fox News Digital. "But I think calling it a victory misunderstands what the queen rejected."
Schofield added, "I see absolutely no reason to believe she would have changed her mind. Queen Elizabeth spent 70 years protecting the distinction between the crown and the individual. It seems unlikely that one of the defining judgements of her final years would suddenly have become negotiable."
Queen Elizabeth did not approve of Harry and Meghan living half inside the Royal Family (Image: Getty Images)
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Harry and Meghan have returned to the U.K. for the foreseeable future, but they won't resume their roles as working royals.
Charles confirmed this in a letter issued by the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the royal household, to senior officials in the government and military, as well as to lord lieutenants, the king's personal representatives around the country.
The Lord Chamberlain said it is "well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of The Sovereign, and are no longer working Members of The Royal Family."
This position will "continue to be fully respected," the Palace official said in the letter. "There is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," he added.
The letter added that all of Harry and Meghan's charitable work is a "personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity." It said, "In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests."
The letter further stated that all correspondence and administrative questions relating to the couple should be sent directly to their office, "which will continue to operate separately from The Royal Household."
Addressing the need for such clarification, the letter said, "To help avoid doubt or confusion, The King has directed that the following information be shared."
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However, a spokesman for Harry and Meghan told CNN and NBC News that they were "surprised" by the letter and were not given an opportunity to add to it.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocated back to the U.K. last month (Image: Getty Images)
The letter's clarification comes as both Harry and Meghan are anticipated to increase their public engagements connected to charitable endeavors. Harry will likely support several organizations, including the Invictus Games, which will next be held in Birmingham in July 2027.
Meanwhile, reports have further indicated that Meghan hopes to re-engage with some of the causes she championed prior to stepping back from the Royal Family in 2020. People magazine reports that Meghan is also in early talks for a role in the Netflix drama The Gentlemen.
Ultimately, though, Charles' letter reinforces the arrangement established when Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals in January 2020, citing intense scrutiny from the British press and lack of support from the palace. They also yearned for independence to grow their brand.
The terms of Harry and Meghan's exit were finalized during the Sandringham Summit, which was presided over by the late Queen Elizabeth.
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Queen Elizabeth drew a firm line before the couple's exit, insisting the Sussexes could not be "half in, half out" as working royals.
"Her position was simply stated as 'all in or all out,'" Fordwich said. "While King Charles has maintained that position, he is likely to be more open to private reconciliation and family gatherings, especially if Harry refrains from further public attacks on the family. Prince William, however, remains resistant to any formal restoration of royal duties for Harry."
Royal experts believe Queen Elizabeth wouldn't not approve of Harry and Meghan's move (Image: Getty Images)
In his memoir Spare, Harry recalled the Sandringham meeting and wrote that he believed the royals would consider five options for the Sussexes.
"Option Five" required a full departure. After about an hour, the queen's private secretary - nicknamed "The Bee" by Harry - issued drafts of a statement announcing "Option Five." Harry was stunned.
"Wait. I'm confused," he wrote. "You've already drafted a statement? Before any discussion? Announcing Option Five? In other words, the fix was in this whole time? This summit was just for show?"
Schofield defended the queen's stance, explaining, "The queen had already learned the dangers of 'half in, half out' long before Harry and Meghan proposed it."
She noted how Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie attempted to maintain commercial careers alongside royal duties, with Edward running his television company and Sophie working in public relations.
The expert explained, "The arrangement became increasingly uncomfortable for the institution, especially as their professional lives generated headlines that risked trading on their royal connections. Ultimately, they abandoned those careers and became full-time working royals.
"That experience demonstrated exactly why the lines need to be clear. You are either representing the Crown and accepting the restrictions that come with that privilege, or you are pursuing a private, commercial life. Trying to do both inevitably raises questions about royal status, access and whether relationships are being leveraged for personal gain."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
