Staff working with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly instructed to address them in a formal manner, a new article by Vanity Fair claims.
The magazine’s cover story explores the couple’s lives five years after stepping down as working royals, and the allegations have sparked a significant online reaction.
According to insiders, some staff members have had negative experiences working for the couple. Sources familiar with Meghan’s Archetypes podcast and Harry’s book tour claim that staff were initially told to address them as ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’, despite no longer being working royals.
However, this request was allegedly dropped after one person questioned it. Other interviewees stated they were encouraged to use the couple’s first names.
One source suggested that the use of formal titles is a way for the couple to maintain a sense of prestige, saying: “I think ultimately it’s cachet and sets them apart as different and special. In the US, success, money, fame, all of that stuff exists out here. But a blood title, it’s few and far between.”
This is not the first time it has been reported that staff working with Harry and Meghan have been instructed to use formal titles. Last year, the CEO of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 revealed he was told to address the couple formally, reports the Mirror.
Scott Moore, a sports broadcaster, revealed in an interview with the local Whistler newspaper, the Vernon Morning Star, that he was eager to familiarise himself with Royal protocol before meeting Harry and Meghan. He shared with the publication: “I did make sure to ask how I should be addressing them when they get here, and I was told the simple sir and ma’am is fine.”
Royal protocol stipulates that members of the Royal Family should initially be addressed as ‘Your Royal Highness’, followed by ‘Sir’ for males or ‘Ma’am’ for females.
The only slight deviation is for King Charles and Queen Camilla who should first be referred to as “Your Majesty”. However, Harry and Meghan have refrained from using their HRH titles for commercial purposes following their departure from royal duties in 2020.
The Vanity Fair article also cited insiders alleging that Meghan could be “really, really awful” when things didn’t go her way at work and that issues often arose due to the couple’s ‘demands’. The piece also quoted sources purportedly living near the couple in Montecito, labelling them as ‘entitled’ and ‘disingenuous’.
However, according to The Times, the Sussexes have refuted these claims, with a source close to them describing the allegations as ‘distressing’.
Insiders close to Harry and Meghan have reportedly referenced remarks made by actress Sharon Stone back in 2020, when the couple first relocated to Montecito, where she noted that the pair would greet passersby and had become a “giving, caring, participating part of our community.”
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