The King’s efforts to clarify that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should not be treated as royalty have led to a war of words between the two camps.
It comes amid, what some royal insiders and commentators suggest, is palace concern over the growth of a rival Sussex court with a potential to sow confusion now that Prince Harry and Meghan are back in Britain and planning public charity engagements and commercial activities.
The Sussexes were said to be frustrated they received only an hour’s notice of a letter – sent on behalf of the Palace – on Monday, to senior government officials, the military, and lord lieutenants, stressing that the couple remain private individuals who should not be afforded the same privileges as working members of the Royal Family.
UK sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlements spark backlash
The UK Government faces backlash after announcing sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as part of what Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has called a “reset” of Britain’s relations with Israel.
Sanctions on Israeli settlements
Land seizures and displacement of Palestinian populations in the West Bank have sharply escalated over the past three years. Other countries including Spain, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands have already implemented sanctions.
Israel’s leading human rights group, B’Tselem, said settlers had taken 100,000 hectares of land from Palestinians during that time – about 18 per cent of the West Bank – and 64 communities of around 4,000 residents have been displaced.
New position
The UK’s new stance under Prime Minister Andy Burnham will see a ban on imports from illegal settlements in the West Bank and providing services to settlers.
Miliband said the British Government believed the occupation as a whole was unlawful, going beyond the previous position that only described the settlements themselves as illegal. He also said there was increasing evidence that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza.
What are the sanctions?
- Israel’s free trade agreement with the UK means only goods from the West Bank will be affected.
- These include Medjool dates, mangoes, grapes and avocados.
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The British Government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists. And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this.
ed miliband, foreign secretary in the house of commons today
Was Trump told?
- Burnham discussed the Middle East with US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Monday.
- It is unclear to what extent Trump was briefed on the sanctions in advance, or what his reaction was.
- However, several Israeli and US officials have already criticised the UK’s stance.
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US hints at ‘retaliation’
I don’t know what all of the national sanctions or repercussions or retaliations will be from the US, hasn’t been announced yet.
Mike Huckabee, the American ambassador to Israel, has called the sanctions “Jew hate” and hinted that the US could retaliate against the UK, including by some states barring deals with British businesses.
What about Israel’s response?
Israeli President Isaac Herzog labelled the trade ban a “gross interference” in the country’s upcoming elections and said it placed Britain “on the wrong side of history”.
Meanwhile, the country’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said Israel will introduce several countermeasures in response to the UK’s “hostile” actions. Israel is to close Britain’s consulate in East Jerusalem and has kicked it out of the US-led mission for Gaza.
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Domestic reaction
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp is among those voicing domestic criticism of the move by Burnham’s government.
He called the sanctions “performative posturing” which will be “practically very difficult to implement” and said that the Conservative Party does not support them as they “risk damaging an important security relationship” with Israel.
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UK politics
Greens vying for Starmer’s old seat in October by-election
With the by-election to replace former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer just a month away, a local Green Party politician is challenging Zack Polanski for the nomination.
In-fighting for the Greens
The by-election to replace Starmer as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras will take place on 8 October but the Green Party, Labour’s main opposition for the seat, is still yet to select its candidate.
Polanski (right) announced his intention to run last week, but local Camden Green councillor Hamza Chowdury (left) said he wants to stand and has the support of six of the ten Green Camden councillors.
We don’t need another MP who arrives during an election campaign, puts out a few leaflets, makes a few promises and disappears once the votes are counted… I’m asking you choose someone who is already here.
local councillor Hamza Chowdhury
How are the Greens’ chances?
At the 2024 general election, held the seat with 49 per cent of the vote, ahead of independent candidate – who is in the upcoming by-election – in second place on 19 per cent. came third on 10 per cent.
In May’s local elections, the Greens made gains to become Labour’s main opposition.
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What next for Monty Don after Gardeners’ World exit
Monty Don is to step down from presenting his weekly BBC show at the end of its current series later this year, following more than 20 years at the helm.
Don will see out this season before stepping down
- Don, 71, has hosted since 2003, initially from Berryfields in Buckinghamshire.
- He began welcoming audiences to his own garden, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire, in 2011.
- Viewers enjoy glimpses of his dogs alongside gardening tips and tricks.
- He plans to continune writing and work on other BBC programmes.
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That connection with millions, not just in Britain but across the world, who share a love of gardens, plants and the natural world is something I have always treasured and which I increasingly believe to be at the heart of a life well lived.
Monty don, gardeners’ world presenter
Monty is utterly unique, a wonderfully engaging broadcaster with a soothing, calm presence who has inspired so many with his passion for gardening. We will miss him on the show hugely.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s chief content officer
Prince George pictured on first day at Eton College
The future king Prince George arrived at the prestigious boarding school Eton College, where he will follow in the footsteps of his father Prince William and uncle Prince Harry, for his first day on Tuesday.
Royal family arrive in rain
George’s parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied him from their nearby home Forest Lodge in Windsor, braving the heavy rain to escort him to school.
Eton fees exceed £63,000 per year, with a rigorous academic selection process. It has turned out twenty prime ministers over the years, as well as educating royalty.
Hopes for privacy
Eton is used to catering to famous children with security requirements, including recent royals from Ethiopia and Nepal.
It is expected that George will be largely free from press intrusion over the next five years, though some photos of him playing sport or acting in school plays are possible.
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Palace officials, however, are understood to take the view that there was no need to consult them as the document, as far as they are concerned, simply reaffirmed the position that has existed since the Sussexes quit official royal duties in 2020.
They have declined to comment on the suggestion that the letter was prompted by concern over the couple creating a rival court now they have returned to the UK.
Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are worried that emphasising their status as private individuals could undermine their efforts to obtain armed police protection. The letter was sent as members of Ravec, the committee that advises the Home Office on protective security, prepared to meet this week to discuss their plea to have taxpayer-funded security while in the UK.
The whole episode, met with weariness inside Buckingham Palace, has soured what looked like an attempt at bridge-building by the Sussexes. It has revived memories of the rival press briefings that marked Megxit, and even carries echoes of the War of the Waleses in the 1990s.
A third court in the shape of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s office adds to the complexities. William and Kate were more focused on Prince George’s first day at Eton yesterday, and have so far refused to discuss the Sussexes’ return. They are reportedly reluctant to reconcile or get involved in the drama. While they are not thought to have been directly involved in drafting the letter, they are said to be “in lockstep” with the King who is keen to show his support for them, according to Kensington Palace officials.
A source close to the Sussexes insisted the couple wants to rebuild familial relationships away from the cameras. While there is no prospect of them resuming official engagements, there remains the possibility that they could eventually be invited to public family gatherings such as Christmas at Sandringham, Easter at Windsor Castle, summer at Balmoral – as well as semi-official events such as Royal Ascot.
For the moment at least that is not on the cards. “They may see the family privately but I don’t think there are plans for them to get involved with public events with the institution,” the source noted, adding that they are not expected to join their relatives at Sandringham this Christmas.
“I think they have plans to spend it with family but other family.”
It is not clear if that will be in Britain or in the US, where Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland is living in Los Angeles. Seeing Harry’s late mother Princess Diana’s side of the family is also a priority for the couple.
In the next couple of weeks, their focus will be on settling their children into a new school, the location of which has not been confirmed by the couple.
Harry has a series of charity engagements, including the WellChild Awards, later in the month, a charity sky dive, and events connected to next summer’s Invictus Games in Birmingham.
Meghan ‘still in talks over Guy Ritchie role’
From their new UK base, Meghan will work on her As Ever range of lifestyle products. There is talk of her resuming work for UK charities she previously represented and she is also understood to still be in talks over a return to acting with a potential part in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix crime drama . But the couple’s TV production company, Archewell Productions, and their charitable operation, Archewell Philanthropies will continue to be based in California, where they have kept their £11 million home, along with a holiday home in Portugal, allowing for transatlantic trips and a potential exit.
The prospect of acting work for Meghan was one of several factors that led the couple to plan a return to Britain, as was educating their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, in the UK.
“Now is a good time for them with Lily, as she says, going to big girls’ school. She’s gone into Year 1,” the source said.
But that does not mean they are here indefinitely. “The reason they are here isn’t down to one factor, similarly there will be a number of factors when – or if – they decide to move on,” the source said, adding that their relationship with the royal family was unlikely “to influence where they want to live”.
Inside the Royal Household officials have suggested that the King wants to hold to the Sandringham agreement of 2020 under which the late Queen – backed by Charles and Prince William – ruled that the Sussexes could not be half in and half out, undertaking royal duties while making money commercially.
Some commentators, however, have suggested he may have to strip the couple of their royal titles to force them not to use them to make the distinction between working and non-working royals clearer.
“It’s all they’ve got but I think Prince Harry ought to be worried about how easily Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had his titles removed,” the royal biographer Hugo Vickers said. “It may have to happen if it gets really bad.”