When it comes to welcoming someone back to Britain, the lord chamberlain’s letter—sent on behalf of King Charles on Monday to remind Harry, Meghan, and everyone watching that they’re still “private citizens”—was so perfectly done that it made me want to become a monarchist again. After six years away, what greater comfort for Prince Harry than to find himself back in the familiar waters of this country’s passive aggression—attacked by his father through the merciless phrase “fully respected,” and provoking from the prince a coded up-yours in the form of his publicly stated “surprise.” Well, it ranks right up there with better cheese, bread, and the NHS, doesn’t it? Even the most Eurocentric American can’t match us at this kind of subtextual bare-knuckle fight. Before we get into what else the returnees may be enjoying this month, let’s fully dig into the letter’s encrypted hostility. First, the king’s repeated use of the words “personal” and “private”—as in “the charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity”—is so intense, so heavy-handed, that it goes beyond merely calling his younger son a civilian and comes perilously close to the ultimate insult: “middle class.” Second, this: “in short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.” As we know, opening a sentence with “in short” is an absolute middle finger of a move, right up there for officiousness with “furthermore,” “with respect,” “to be clear,” and “I think you’ll find.” Elsewhere in that sentence, lumping together the words “commercial” and “charitable” is, I’d suggest, a deliberate tactic to insinuate that the former (grubby little money-makers!) undermines the integrity of the latter (charitable, my arse!) and to suggest that the Sussexes are just in it for themselves. And finally: the absolute shellacking of the letter’s closing, in which the king writes: “This position, distinct from the state and royal duties undertaken by the working royal family, and with the personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish, will continue to be fully respected.” Or in plain language: “Haha, you’re not royal anymore. Nothing about your status warrants the sustained use of capital letters or a requirement for history to remember you. We’re not giving you any money because you’ve brought this on yourselves. And ps, your invocation of privacy, after publishing your memoir and sitting down with Oprah, is an absolute joke we couldn’t be enjoying more. See ya.” God, the seething, green-bile acidity of the phrase “as they would wish”! Bravo, sir! Absolutely gold standard! Poor Harry must be reeling, even as he relaxes into the warm gust of air in which he was raised. (Meghan, one assumes, is largely oblivious to just how devastating all of this is and may have found the letter merely a touch snotty.) For the formerly royal couple, we must assume that any upset caused by the tone of this letter—allowing for the prince’s bone-deep recognition and masochistic enjoyment of what might otherwise be an upsetting exchange—is offset by the many advantages they’ll enjoy now that they’re back in the old country. Rolling green hills are obviously a thing of the past; the Cotswolds are as brown as southern California right now. But the prince may find comfort in the small-scale landscape—the patchwork of fields and hedgerows, the tiny lanes like crooked elbows, jammed up with tractors and alive with tiny brown birds—that large-scale farming in the US doesn’t offer. I mentioned the cheese and the bread, infinitely superior to the rubbery and sugary American equivalents, and I’d add English strawberries to that, even this late in the sePerhaps Harry will also be reunited with some old favourites from his wardrobe. It’s never wax jacket season in Montecito, where an extreme heat warning is in place, while the whole country is on all fours digging out woolly jumpers from under the bed. (Don’t tell me the words “woolly jumper” won’t comfort Harry after being forced to wear sweaters and hoodies.) For Meghan, these consolations will feel foreign, but perhaps, before they start to annoy her, she can take comfort in this country’s relative slowness, its high tolerance for messiness, and its appreciation for sarcasm—and if all else fails, there’s always the pub.
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Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on Emma Brockes article regarding Prince Harry the media and King Charles
What is this article about
It discusses how Prince Harry is facing mockery from the media and now his father King Charles following the release of his memoir and interviews
Who wrote the article
Emma Brockes a columnist for The Guardian
Why is King Charles joining in
Reports suggest the King is reportedly amused by or participating in the general skepticism surrounding Harrys public complaints
What did Harry expect to happen
The article implies Harry may have expected sympathy or understanding but the author argues he should have anticipated backlash
What is the main point of the article
It argues that Harrys ongoing public criticisms of the Royal Family have made him an easy target for ridicule even from his own father
Who is Emma Brockes
She is a British journalist and author who writes for The Guardian often covering culture politics and media
What does mocked by the media mean here
It refers to journalists commentators and social media users making fun of Harrys statements interviews and book
What is the tone of the article
It is skeptical slightly sarcastic and critical of Harrys approach to public relations
Why is the media mocking Harry
Because they see his repeated complaints about his family as contradictory or selfpitying especially given his privileged position
What does Sorry Harry but what did you expect mean
It means Harry should have known that going public with family grievances would lead to criticism and mockery
What is the Spare memoir
It is Prince Harrys 2023 autobiography which details his childhood military service and rift with the Royal Family
Why did Harry write the book
He says he wanted to tell his own story and correct the media narrative about him and his wife Meghan
How did the Royal Family react to the book
They largely remained silent publicly but reports indicate they were hurt and frustrated by the revelations
What is the royal rift
It is the ongoing conflict between Prince Harry and Meghan and the rest of the Royal Family especially Prince William and King Charles
Why does the media focus on Harry so much
He is a highprofile public figure
