King Charles's new warning as Harry and Meghan continue 'acting like royals'

It’s been reported that King Charles isn’t happy with the Sussexes’ pseudo-royal engagements, including the recent visit to Jordan and their Australian tour.

The late Queen Elizabeth II made it clear that when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave up their royal duties for a new life in America, they couldn’t have their cake and eat it.

The couple were left in no doubt that they should not use their titles to trade off the royal brand. However, several years on, the Sussexes appear to be acting like royals once again, while focusing on promoting themselves as global philanthropists.

Sources at Buckingham Palace tell me that King Charles is 'very uneasy' about the way Harry and Meghan have blurred the lines between what is and isn’t official royal work.

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A particular fear for His Majesty is their current visit Down Under. While there, Harry is due to deliver a keynote speech about mental health in the workplace, and a number of other engagements are planned.

So why is this of such concern to the King?

The Royal Diary of engagements is carefully managed, particularly when it comes to visits to Commonwealth countries, which are carried out at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The royals work as ambassadors, effectively providing the UK government with a trump card in its diplomatic work.

The fear is that Harry and Meghan are acting as though they’re making an official visit, when in fact they’re ploughing their own furrow.

As one senior source based at Buckingham Palace put it, 'Harry and Meghan are now acting outside the rules set down for them by Queen Elizabeth when they first chose to give up royal duties.

'They are not accountable, it seems, to anyone. They just simply do what they want, when they want to do it.'

'Royal visits are about the people and the public. In contrast, Harry and Meghan's engagements are all about them and their profile, and creating their own brand.'

The Australia visit is by no means devoid of potential headaches for King Charles, either. A large part of the Australian public are republicans, and even die-hard royal fans may not approve of the way Harry and Meghan appear to have cashed in on their status as royals.

The visit is full of potential stumbling blocks and there have already been signs that the Australian public don’t want to foot the bill for policing the visit. This is an issue that’s been simmering away for a number of years.

It’s been claimed that when Prince William becomes King, he may well strip his brother of the title of Prince. The precedent set by King Charles’ actions over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor means that Harry will have to tread carefully if he wishes to remain a member of the Royal Family.

King Charles's reported need to issue a warning may come as a surprise to many, who believe that he’s keen to see his wayward son back in his life, despite the allegations levelled against the Royal Family.

But my sources tell me that there have been conversations about where the lines are being crossed and why it is important that Harry, and indeed Meghan, stay in their 'lane'.

Given that the King rarely steps in, I think Harry will have to take it seriously.

My sources believe that King Charles and William feel very strongly that Harry and Meghan need to be reined in, and that their 'royal visits' could pose a possible problem for the rest of the family.

When Harry and Meghan quit royal life, it was assumed they would fade away into the background. Yet the opposite seems to have happened, with them not only courting publicity, but actively selling themselves on a global stage.

The couple have staff whose job it is to promote them, and in many ways they seem to have dropped their desire to find a 'normal life'. Harry in particular must find this difficult. He dreamed of enjoying a down-to-earth existence. But that hasn’t been the case as he and Meghan continue to plan visits, make headlines and appear to sell off their royal connections to the highest bidder.

The late Queen would be horrified by how this has all panned out, and it comes as no surprise that there are reports that the King would feel the need to intervene.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.