Star Metro - Harry set for UK public outings with security, royal status hazy

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated from California on August 26 and have not spoken publicly yet, nor even issued a public statement officially confirming the surprise move.

However, in recent days Meghan has used her personal Instagram account to offer glimpses of their new UK life, coinciding with the prince's 42nd birthday on Tuesday.

Reportedly now based in central England's Cotswolds region, she posted a montage of family videos -- featuring their son Archie, 7, and daughter Lilibet, 5 as well as their two dogs -- enjoying the English countryside.

Prior to that, King Charles III's youngest son had only been seen publicly on September 7, when photographs of a visit to a London recording studio appeared on Instagram.

Harry's presence back in Britain is set to become more visible later this week, when he is due to appear at several events linked to his Invictus Games charity for wounded veterans.

He will attend a September 21 awards ceremony for the WellChild charity, which he has been a patron of for nearly two decades.

- 'Caught off guard' -

The couple's shock return has featured prominently across Britain's newspapers and on television news bulletins, but the media has complied with a request not to reveal their exact new whereabouts or which schools their children are attending.

However, several outlets reported Monday that both children had changed schools just a few days into term over security fears.

The Sussexes's private security team had raised concerns over the length of their original daily journeys and heavy traffic on the route, according to the BBC, citing a source close to the pair.

UK media also reported this week that the independent body responsible for deciding which politicians, royals and others get police protection will review whether to reinstate their taxpayer-funded security.

Harry had previously ruled out returning to Britain due to security concerns after losing a years-long legal battle to retain the publicly subsidised protection while living in the United States.

It had been withdrawn following their 2020 decision to quit Britain and royal duties amid a bitter feud with other senior royal family members.

Harry has since reconciled with his father, but reportedly remains estranged from his elder brother and heir-to-throne Prince William.

His and Meghan's sudden relocation "to some extent caught the royal household off guard", royal expert Ed Owens told AFP.

In a likely sign of that, Buckingham Palace sought to clarify their status earlier this month.

The couple are not to be considered "working members of the royal family", according to a letter issued by the Lord Chamberlain, the palace's most senior official.

- 'Anxious' -

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said the letter -- sent under Charles's instructions to "senior stakeholders" in the government, military and other institutions, as well as Harry and Meghan -- was a "blunt statement of fact".

It showed "the door clearly remains firmly closed to any ambition the Sussexes might have harboured to resume their lives as working royals," she wrote in the iPaper.

"The King is not going to be bounced into accepting any change in their status just because they have chosen to return."

Owens noted the palace were likely "anxious" the couple could distract attention from other royals' work.

Meanwhile Harry and Meghan were "surprised" to see the guidance made public just an hour after they received it, according to reports.

Britons appear unenthused by any prospective return to royal duties, with only 16 percent favouring such a move compared with around half who were opposed, according to a recent YouGov poll.

"Irrespective of whether they are working formally on behalf of the British royal family, their activities will impact the image of the monarchy," Owens argued.

Potential fallout from the current uneasy relationship between the couple and the monarchy could be seen in recent weeks over Uganda's participation in Harry's Invictus Games.

The African country's military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had announced its withdrawal from the games, in order "not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III".

But the move was then reversed following a reported call from Charles's principal private secretary to reassure that the king had "no problem" with taking part.

V.Watson--SMC