A new look inside royal parlance finds palace insiders using icy, indirect references to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to passages in Craig Brown’s book A Voyage Around the Queen. Brown quotes members of the royal circle who say the Sussexes’ names are often avoided or softened in conversation, reflecting lingering awkwardness since the couple’s departure from full-time royal duties in 2020.
David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, the second Earl of Snowdon, is quoted in Brown’s book saying the royal family is “quite good at blanking out anything unpleasant or uncomfortable.” Broadcaster and former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth tells Brown that when Harry and Meghan’s names do come up “courtiers flinch almost imperceptibly and change the subject—or, if that’s not possible, refer to them obliquely as ‘persons who live overseas.’” Brandreth adds that more senior family members typically offer only a terse, “We wish them all the best,” and move on.
The revelations underline an institutional habit of avoidance that commentators say has grown since the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and publicly aired grievances about life inside the family. While Harry and Meghan remain prominent in international headlines — for charity work, media projects and public appearances — Brown’s account portrays a court culture that prefers to minimize discussion of the couple rather than engage with the controversies their departure stirred.
The book’s disclosures also echo previously reported details about how the royals and their staff handled names more discreetly when the Sussexes were still working royals. A report from August 2024 noted that security personnel used the initials “DS” for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and assigned them the names David Stevens and Davina Scott for operational purposes. That same report said Prince William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, had their own coded names — Daphne Clark and Danny Collins — reflecting standard practice of using aliases for security and logistics.
Despite the chilly tone depicted in court circles, personal anecdotes show a different, intimate side to the Sussexes’ relationship. Meghan Markle told the Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast in April 2025 that she and Harry used letters and initials for one another early in their relationship — a small, private shorthand that “stuck” over time. The contrast between private familiarity and public or institutional reticence underscores the split social dynamics surrounding the couple.
Craig Brown’s book adds to an ongoing portrait of the monarchy’s response to the post-2020 period: a mixture of public civility, private distance and careful verbal management. By documenting how courtiers reportedly speak around the Sussexes, Brown offers readers a glimpse of the social protocols that shape who is named, how, and when inside Britain’s royal household.