Team Sussex has been briefing “all sorts of rubbish” since King Charles reminded officials that Harry and Meghan are not working royals, according to Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary.
Commenting on the controversy, Dickie Arbiter told The Camilla Tominey Show on GB News: “Well, the rumble started when they arrived back in England without anybody knowing, and then all of a sudden the Lord Chamberlain issues a statement last Monday in which he refers to the couple as private citizens.
“They’ve made a big deal out of it. Their team are winding them up, telling them they’re not private citizens; they’re public figures. That’s for the public to decide, not them.
“What the Lord Chamberlain’s letter was aiming to say was they’re no longer members of the Royal Family, and not being members of the Royal Family, they’re private citizens. End of.”
Asked if the briefing war reminded him of the falling out of Charles and Diana, he said: “It reminds me a little bit, but here we’ve got a letter coming out from the Lord Chamberlain, and they’re coming back with all sorts of rubbish.
“Quite frankly, in terms of the War of the Waleses, yeah, there were friends speaking on behalf of both of them, Diana wasn’t too fussed about the friends speaking on her behalf, but Charles, when he was Prince of Wales, was concerned and told his friends to basically belt up, which they did.
“But this war of the Waleses just went on and on, and all sorts of people who might have been acquaintances were speaking on behalf of both of them. It wasn’t helpful, and as we all know, it ended in divorce in 1996.”
He said he believed that the state had to provide some security for Harry and Meghan: “It’s a very difficult one, that you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. At the end of the day, Harry is a prince of the United Kingdom. He’s a high-profile figure.
“He fought in Afghanistan on two tours of duty, very stupidly, and he was stupid because it’s not done in the military, he boasted of having killed 25 Taliban. So yes, there probably is a target on his back.
“He won’t get 24 hours security. He might well get security when he’s out and about doing his pseudo-royal engagements. But 24 hours, I very much doubt the taxpayers will stand for that.”
Asked if Prince William will prove to be a good monarch, he said: “He’ll do a very good job, as you said in your introduction. He could well be 60 by the time he gets there.
“I hope it’s later rather than sooner because we don’t want to see Charles suddenly disappear. But yes, he will be a good king.
“He’s got his head screwed on the right way. He’s very serious. He’s very family-oriented, and he’s very youth and homeless-oriented. So that’s a good start.”