Arabic version: عمود في «الغارديان» يصوّر خلاف آل ساسكس كأنه تلفزيون واقع

According to The Guardian, columnist Marina Hyde has characterised a recent public dispute involving King Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, as a development likely to intensify attention on the couple’s return to the UK. Hyde wrote that Harry and Meghan had been back in the country for 12 days when a letter was issued on the King’s behalf.

The letter, sent via the lord chamberlain to what Hyde described as “relevant senior stakeholders across government, the military and Lord Lieutenancies”, said the Sussexes were “private citizens” and should not be treated as working royals. Hyde argued that the intervention was likely to become a new focus of public debate rather than suppress discussion.

Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson responded publicly, saying the couple “were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance”, Hyde wrote. A briefing to the Telegraph, cited in the column, said the Sussexes preferred the term “public figures” and would have wanted recognition that they remained members of the royal family on a personal level, despite no longer receiving public funding.

Hyde also wrote that Uganda’s military chief announced the country would withdraw from Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, saying it did not want to take part in something “that does not have His Majesty’s approval”. The columnist compared the exchanges between the royal household and the Sussexes to the plot-driving conflicts of reality television, arguing that their public-response style remains incompatible with the royal household’s approach.