Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “Hate” This Phrase Closely Associated With the Royal Family, Friend Says
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Nottingham, England on October 15, 2026.Credit: GettyThe Gist
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle apparently both “hate” the phrase “working members of the royal family,” a friend told The Times.
Calling it “a really lazy phrase,” the friend added that the couple is not a fan because “they are members of the royal family, and they work.”
The friend continued that the two also take issue with being called “former royals,” because “It has an impact on how they’re perceived and the way people talk about them.”
According to a friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the couple takes umbrage at a phrase popularly used regarding royals—the term “working members of the royal family,” which refers to royals like King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton who work full-time for the firm.
According to a new report from The Times, Harry and Meghan “hate” the phrase, believing it is a “lazy” definition of royal duty. The two are said to find issue with the wording because “they are members of the royal family, and they work.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Melbourne, Australia on April 14, 2026.Credit: Getty
“‘Working members of the royal family’ is a really lazy phrase,” the friend told The Times. “He hates it, she hates it. They are not ‘working’ for the institution but they are members of the royal family, and they work.” Referring to Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever, the friend added, “She’s running a business seven days a week.”
The couple also doesn’t like being described as “former royals,” according to the friend. Referencing the pair’s October 15 visit to Nottingham, England—their first joint appearance since unexpectedly moving back to the U.K. in August—the friend said, “Things like Nottingham aren’t done in the name of the institution or the Crown, but Harry is the son of the king, he is still a member of the royal family, he’s just not a member of the institution.”
“It’s misleading to call them ‘former royals,’” the friend continued. “It has an impact on how they’re perceived and the way people talk about them.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on October 15, 2026.Credit: Getty
In September, a letter was released on behalf of the king that clarified in no uncertain terms that Harry and Meghan would not be resuming their working royal roles upon their move back to Britain, nor were they to use their respective His and Her Royal Highness stylings. The letter referred to the couple as “private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
Harry and Meghan’s inner circle speaking out about the “working royals” phrase isn’t likely to melt frosty relations between Harry and his brother William, whom he isn’t thought to have spoken to in four years. Harry is also building a relationship back with his father, whom he last saw in July when he visited Charles’s country home, Highgrove, with Meghan and their children. The Sussex family has yet to see Charles face-to-face since they returned to the U.K. nearly two months ago, though the king has been at Balmoral in Scotland for much of that time. The king is expected to return this week, The Times reported.
“Of course there is distance between him and his brother,” a source close to Harry and Meghan told The Times. “Things are not perfect between him and his father.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Nottingham, England on October 15, 2026.Credit: Getty
As they write their new chapter in the U.K. after six years away living in Montecito, California, they might be making more joint appearances like the one last week in Nottingham, a source told The Times. “They might do one or two more things together before the end of the year,” the insider said. “You’ll see him out and about a bit more than her.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on April 16, 2026.Credit: Getty
Harry and Meghan were said to be “emotional and overjoyed” at the reception they received in Nottingham, which doubled as the site of their first joint appearance after announcing their engagement in late 2017.
“They were really pleased—they didn’t think people would turn out like they did,” a source close to the couple told The Times. “She is in a much better headspace than when she was doing it first time ‘round. They both are.”
“He’s always at his happiest when he’s out meeting people and supporting the causes,” the source added. “He’s just enjoying himself. Having Meghan by his side takes the pressure off.”
on InStyle
Source: Entertainment
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