King Charles III is facing renewed calls to maintain a streamlined monarchy after commentator Mark Dolan argued that any effort to reconcile with Prince Harry should not blur the distinction between working and non-working members of the Royal Family. Speaking on The Royalist podcast, Dolan said the King's reported meeting with the Duke of Sussex could complicate the institution's long-term structure and potentially affect the future reign of Prince William.
The debate follows reports that King Charles recently met Prince Harry at Highgrove House, the monarch's private residence in Gloucestershire. The reported meeting has fueled speculation that father and son may be attempting to repair a relationship strained since Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from royal duties in 2020. Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have not publicly commented on either the reported meeting or Dolan's remarks.
During the podcast, Dolan argued that any move appearing to restore Prince Harry's standing within royal circles risks undermining the arrangements established during Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Under the agreement reached following the Sussexes' departure, Harry and Meghan ceased carrying out official royal duties and stopped using their HRH styles in a working capacity.
According to Dolan, those boundaries should remain intact to avoid creating confusion over who represents the monarchy officially. "It's horrible that the Queen, the late Queen, is being betrayed in this way," Dolan said, arguing that Queen Elizabeth II would have handled the situation more firmly had she still been alive.
Dolan also revisited Prince Harry's long-running dispute over security arrangements in the United Kingdom. Since leaving official royal duties, Harry has challenged decisions regarding publicly funded police protection, maintaining that adequate security is necessary for himself and his family when visiting Britain.
Questioning that position, Dolan suggested recent visits demonstrated otherwise. "We discovered... he doesn't need the cop cars and the helicopters," he said, arguing that the debate had become partly about public perception. Prince Harry has consistently maintained that his legal challenges concern the adequacy of security assessments rather than appearances or status.
The broadcaster expanded his criticism by arguing that King Charles should continue reducing the number of working royals as part of a long-term strategy to strengthen the monarchy before Prince William eventually becomes king. According to Dolan, maintaining a clear separation between active royals and family members who no longer perform official duties would create a more focused and efficient institution.
Dolan also speculated that tensions between the Sussex and Wales families could extend into the next generation. Those comments prompted a response from a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan, who criticized the remarks for involving their children.
In a statement, the spokesperson described Dolan's comments about Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet as "deeply distasteful." The statement added, "There is a fundamental difference between criticising public figures and choosing to demonise two young children who have done absolutely nothing to warrant it."
The spokesperson further argued that portraying Archie and Lilibet as future adversaries within the Royal Family was "extraordinary and irresponsible." The response underscored the Sussexes' longstanding position that their children should remain outside public disputes involving senior members of the monarchy.
