00:00The King has sent a letter to senior royal representatives, government and military officials
00:05clarifying Prince Harry's standing in the royal family. What does it really mean?
00:09There are two ways of looking at it. The first way is that it's procedural.
00:13It's aimed at officials and it tells us what we already knew.
00:16There is no half in, half out with the royal family.
00:19The second way is the optics of it. It may not have been written for public consumption,
00:23but they knew it would get out and it doesn't look very friendly.
00:27The headlines are that the King is putting Harry in his place, and that was predictable.
00:32Indeed, it wasn't friendly.
00:34Hello understands that although Harry's team received it in advance,
00:37they only had about an hour's notice and they did not have a chance to make suggestions.
00:42Why did the King need to send this letter?
00:45Harry's return to Britain is confusing to the public.
00:48He's not a working royal, but he looks like one and he's good at it.
00:51So a distinction needs to be made.
00:53This letter makes that distinction.
00:55This letter is sent in the King's name, but it can be read as a joint message from Charles and
01:00William.
01:01Now, Harry is a problem for William, publicly as well as personally.
01:05The monarchy is strongest when the narrative is uncomplicated and Harry complicates things.
01:10He has antagonized the press, Buckingham Palace, the judiciary and the Home Office.
01:14He's a disruptor.
01:15And if the monarchy stands for anything, it is continuity without disruptions.
01:19William is the most popular member of the royal family.
01:22Harry is one of the least popular.
01:24And the only things that have lessened William's popularity have been Harry's actions,
01:28especially the publication of his memoir, Spare.
01:31So, will Harry drag William down again?
