The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were caught off guard by the King’s formal reiteration they will be treated as “private citizens” and did not have enough time to clarify any points before the guidance was issued to the media, it is understood.

Harry’s father Charles asked the Royal Household’s most senior officer the Lord Chamberlain to write to senior stakeholders within the Government and the military setting out guidelines on their status.

The letter was revealed to the media at 3.06pm on Monday. It is understood the contents were shared with Harry and Meghan’s team almost an hour before at 1.59pm.

Team Sussex sent a response back to Buckingham Palace at 2.19pm asking whether the guidance had already gone out, in the hope of letting the duke and duchess know ahead of the media, and for the team to have the chance to clarify one or two points.

Meanwhile, Harry, who was pictured at Tower Bridge Studios in London in a Instagram post by the recording studios on Monday, was in a meeting and could not be contacted until 3.09pm when he was told a letter had been drafted and his team were seeking guidance on whether it had been distributed.

Team Sussex then received confirmation at 3.11pm it had already been sent to the media.

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said: “We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.”

The disclosure of the private behind-the-scenes dealings is likely to fuel speculation of tension between the Sussexes and the Royal Household, just two weeks after Harry and Meghan returned to the UK.

The letter was revealed ahead of a reported meeting this week of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is responsible for making decisions about royal security.

It is understood the meeting is not taking place on Tuesday.

Harry is waiting to hear the conclusion of the Risk Management Board’s threat assessment and Ravec is expected to decide at the meeting as to whether the Sussex family should be entitled to taxpayer-funded security now they live in the UK.

Lord Benyon’s letter reiterated the King’s stance in August, when Harry and Meghan announced their return, that there would be no alteration to their role and status as private individuals and non-working royals.

It read: “It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used.

“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the private correspondence.