King Charles III and Queen Camilla, followed by Princess Anne, Princess Royal, arrive for the Sovereign’s Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on July 1, 2025 in Edinburgh, Scotland.(Image: Getty Images)King Charles is reportedly embroiled in another dispute with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, this time concerning their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The British sovereign has found himself at the centre of controversy following revelations that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seeking new passports for their offspring, hinting at a possible return to working Royal duties in the UK in the future.
This development comes as a surprise, especially given Meghan and Harry’s high-profile departure from Royal life in 2020 and their subsequent candid remarks about the institution.
A confidant of the Sussexes told The Guardian that the intention behind the passport bid was so “when they grow older, they can decide for themselves whether they want to become working royals or stay out of public life.”
Amidst delays and bureaucratic hurdles in securing the passports, there’s speculation that the Duke and Duchess suspect King Charles may be influencing the process.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose for a photo with their newborn baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019.(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)In response, Buckingham Palace issued a statement denying such involvement: “King Charles, battling cancer and governing an entire monarchy, has better and more important matters to handle than meddling in passport applications,” reports the Mirror US.
The Daily Mail reports that King Charles is both incredulous and amused by the notion that Archie and Lilibet might assume Royal duties, considering their parents’ decision to relinquish such roles in 2020.
It is also believed that Prince William, who is next in line to the throne, would prevent Archie and Lilibet from assuming any Royal duties.
An insider reportedly told The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes about the Prince of Wales’s stance, saying: “William obviously isn’t going to hire Archie and Lilibet. This is just trolling on the part of Harry and Meghan.”
Royal commentator Richard Eden, writing for The Daily Mail, noted: “From what I am told, the removal of Archie and Lilibet’s HRHs could be part of a wider ‘slimming down’ of the Monarchy when William becomes King.”