Following a whirlwind week of royal developments, HELLO!‘s Royal Editor Emily Nash sat down on A Right Royal Podcast to break down the King’s official statement on the Sussexes, security battles, an unexpected feud with a Ugandan military commander, and Prince George’s milestone arrival at Eton.

Scroll down to listen to the full podcast episode.

The Palace’s definitive statement & Sussex security battles

Q: The King this week issued a statement via the Lord Chamberlain regarding Harry and Meghan’s engagements in the UK. Why was this statement released publicly now?

Emily Nash: “Meghan and Harry are preparing to make charity visits and other engagements around the UK. And normally with a member of the Royal Family, people would approach the palace and ask how they manage the engagement. And so this is the King very clearly stating, they’re not members of the Royal Family. If you have questions about their engagements, you speak to their office. And then crucially, if you have questions about their security, you speak to the relevant police authorities. And this is very much saying, this has nothing to do with us anymore.

© Getty Images for the Invictus Ga

“We spoke to Smart Works, one of her charities, last week, and they said they’re very excited to welcome her back. We know Harry, a source close to him was quoted as saying he’s prepared to do whatever he can for the Invictus Games, for example. And I think the difficulty is that in the public’s mind, this is just very, it’s too royal adjacent, and so they’re effectively all lumped in together. So that’s one thing. The other thing is that I think the Palace knew that if they were sending these responses to various official bodies, and of course, informing the Sussexes about this, there was a strong chance it would be leaked.”

Q: How are Harry and Meghan reportedly reacting to being referred to as private citizens, and why re-emphasise their HRH titles are in abeyance?

Emily Nash: “Sources close to them have told a newspaper that they were not very happy about being called private citizens. They would have preferred to have been called public figures. And they also were a bit sensitive to the fact that there was no reference to them remaining members of the Royal Family, regardless of what their status is in terms of public duties or none. So, the fascinating thing about this is we appear to be lurching into another tit-for-tat situation whereby somebody always has to have the last word. And it’s just been non-stop.

“Speaking of other things he made very clear, it was the HRH titles. And he talked again about those, that styling, the royal styling being in abeyance, which is a very formal word, and it’s a very, almost legalistic way of saying, ‘You cannot use those honorifics.’ It’s all about the clarity and setting out boundaries right now.”

© Tower Bridge Studios

Q: With the RAVEC executive committee meeting to review Harry’s security, what can we expect regarding his protection while in the UK?

Emily Nash: “This is something that should have happened a long, long time ago. Now Harry’s camps have always argued that he should have had this risk assessment. We know that was only made in the last few weeks, and I think of course the fact that he’s now back on UK soil makes it more pressing. Now there has been a delay in general for these assessments for VIP people because of various things going on in government. And this has now become more pressing because he’s in the UK, but there’s no guarantee that it will work in his favour. I expect, if I was guessing, I’d say that he may get some kind of protection. It may not be to the level that he’s hoping for.”

“You know what his team have been saying for a long time is that he just has the phone number for a liaison officer in the Metropolitan Police, you know, someone to call if there’s an issue. But he’s used to, and he’s grown up with armed protection 24/7, and that’s something he’s been without now for six years.

Q: Do you think then that the answer he gets might not be the one he’s hoping for with regards to his security?

Emily Nash: “We’ll find out. I would have thought we’d find out fairly soon, because again, there’s a need for clarity, isn’t there? You know, because this has been something he’s been banging on about for years now, and he’s gone through the courts, he’s gone through the Court of Appeal and been unsuccessful. But being back in the country does put a slightly different slant on things. And of course, no one in the the country, least of all the King, wants any risk to lay across his grandchildren, in particular, and his son and his wife.

“But again, this was about reminding people that actually the King is not responsible for this. It’s not down to him who gets security and who doesn’t. And in fact, he really needs to take a step back. This is a Home Office, a government issue, and it’s one for them to resolve alone.”

International fallout & the Invictus Games

Q: Uganda’s military commander announced on social media that the country is withdrawing from the Invictus Games to show loyalty to King Charles. What is behind this decision?

Emily Nash: “Uganda became the latest country to joing the Invictus games. The 7th of July was the day I was in the room when Harry got up on stage with Ugandan officials to announce that they were joining the movement. It happened about an hour after he found out the outcome of his case against Associated Newspapers. It was quite an extraordinary moment.

© Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

“This particular general – and I fully reccomend his feed on X he’s got quite a lot of forthright opinions – has come out very strongly and said, and I just want to quote, ‘I have factions in the Ministry of Defence that support the Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to squash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.’ It’s quite extraordinary for someone in such a senior position to come out and say that.

“And I think there’s certainly no suggestion he’s doing this at anyone’s behest in the UK. But it is interesting, isn’t it, that there are signs of difficulties behind the scenes at some of Harry’s flagship organisations because of all the connotations of the difficulties around their return and the relationship with the Palace.