King Charles has made clear that Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will remain non-working royals despite their return to the UK.

A letter sent on behalf of the King states that the couple will not be permitted to carry out official royal engagements or represent the Royal Family.

Harry and Meghan, who moved back to the UK with their children, Archie and Lilibet, will continue to be treated as private citizens. They will also not use the HRH titles of His and Her Royal Highness.

The letter, issued by the Lord Chamberlain, one of the most senior officials in the Royal Household, has reportedly been sent to Harry’s team, government departments, military officials and Lord Lieutenants.

It makes clear that any public engagements undertaken by the Sussexes will be carried out in a private capacity and should not be treated as official royal visits.

The intervention comes ahead of expected public appearances by Harry and Meghan in the UK this autumn as they settle back into the country and continue supporting their charitable causes.

The King’s message also reinforces the arrangements agreed in 2020, when the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties under the so-called Sandringham Agreement.

The agreement ruled out a “half-in, half-out” arrangement that would have allowed Harry and Meghan to retain working royal status while pursuing independent commercial interests.

The letter states that the couple “stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of the Sovereign” in January 2020 and “are no longer working members of the Royal Family”.

It adds that their charitable activities are “a personal matter for them both” and are undertaken in their private capacity.

The King’s message also says organisations seeking guidance on how Harry and Meghan should be received, particularly where public funds could be involved, should contact Buckingham Palace.

The issue of security remains separate. The letter states that operational security matters should continue to be handled by the relevant police authorities.

Harry has previously complained about the level of police protection available to him and his family in the UK. Decisions over security for royals and other prominent figures are handled by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as Ravec.

Around 170,000 passengers have been left stranded after a volcanic eruption forced Indonesian authorities to temporarily suspend operations at eight airports.

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was among the first to close on Sunday after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau was detected in nearby airspace.

The transport ministry said 1,558 flights had been delayed, with the affected airports expected to remain closed until midnight.

The volcano began erupting late on Friday, producing continuous seismic activity, lava fountains and loud booming sounds across surrounding areas. Two further eruptions were recorded early on Sunday.

The disruption has mainly affected flights to and from Singapore, as well as international routes serving destinations including Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.

Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said additional airports were closed after tests showed volcanic ash had spread towards West Java.

He urged airlines to speed up ticket refunds for passengers affected by cancellations and provide timely information to travellers with upcoming flights to prevent overcrowding at airports.

Authorities said there was no tsunami warning linked to the volcanic activity. Anak Krakatau is located in the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra.

Indonesia’s health minister has advised people living in affected areas to remain indoors and wear face masks to reduce the risk of respiratory, eye and skin irritation caused by volcanic ash.

Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday after students and residents reported suffering eye irritation. Some fishermen also cancelled trips after experiencing similar symptoms.

Local resident Aldi Candra Prayogi told Indonesian newspaper Kompas that it felt as though “small grains of sand had gotten into my eyes” and that he had been using eye drops to relieve the irritation.

He said the volcanic dust had become so thick that he had to sweep the front yard of his home every five minutes.

The United States military says it has struck three Iran-linked oil tankers after ballistic missiles were launched towards two US warships in the region.

US Central Command (Centcom) said on Saturday that one tanker near Kharg Island and another near the Strait of Hormuz had been “permanently disabled”, while a third tanker in the Gulf of Oman was “completely destroyed”.

Centcom said its forces successfully evaded multiple attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeting a US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. No American personnel were injured, it said.

Iranian state media earlier reported that one of the country’s tankers had been struck off the coast of Kharg Island. Tehran had not immediately acknowledged the reported attacks on US warships.

Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the strikes were intended to send a clear warning to Iran.

“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost,” he said.

Cooper added that the US would continue to defend its forces and, if necessary, target Iran’s oil fleet.

Centcom said the three tankers were allegedly part of a multi-billion-dollar “shadow network” used to fund the IRGC and its regional allies.

The latest strikes come nearly a week after fighting between the US and Iran intensified following a period of relative calm.

The US said it had previously struck two rocket launchers that it believed could be used to lay naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump later described another US operation as a “very heavy attack”, while suggesting the renewed conflict would not continue for long.

Iran subsequently retaliated against US-linked targets across the region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

The conflict has also sparked allegations of civilian casualties. Iran’s government said US strikes killed at least four people, including two children, at a wedding in southern Iran.

US Vice-President JD Vance said he was “extremely sceptical” of the claim but confirmed that Washington would investigate.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said shrapnel from a missile struck a wedding ceremony at a home in Sirik on Tuesday. Iranian authorities described the incident as a “war crime”.