Harry and Meghan to step back from royals duties

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Britain's Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made a surprise announcement Wednesday night: that they would "step back" from their roles as senior members of the royal family and work to become "financially independent," in the United Kingdom and North America.

Such a move abroad, away from the strictures of Buckingham Palace and its many duties, would be bold and remarkable, signaling that two of the younger, more popular royals may be fed up with an anachronistic, cosseted life of endless ribbon-cutting and fusty, scripted engagements — and the scrutiny that comes with all of that.

The globally famous couple — friends to Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, George Clooney and the Obamas — have complained bitterly of being pursued by the British tabloids.

They have filed lawsuits and given TV interviews claiming violations of their privacy. Harry has said he is haunted by memories of his mother, Princess Diana, being hounded to her death by paparazzi.

In a post on their Instagram account, the couple said they made the decision to distance themselves from palace life “after many months of reflection and internal discussions.”

“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth and our patronages,” they wrote.

A statement from Buckingham Palace prompted speculation that the queen may not have been fully informed of the decision before the announcement.

The palace statement read: “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

That sounded to many as if the queen was miffed.

The couple did not say where, exactly, they would spend time now.

Before she and Harry got together, Meghan lived and worked in Toronto, where “Suits” is filmed. Canada, a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations, might make an appropriate part-time home.

On Tuesday, the couple visited Canada House in central London, where they thanked the Canadian high commissioner for the hospitality they received during a recent stay in her country. Harry, Meghan and their baby, Archie, spent Christmas in Canada and were spotted on Vancouver Island.

As far as their “financial independence,” in a Q&A on their new website, SussexRoyal.com, Harry and Meghan said they would no longer receive money from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which they said has covered 5 percent of their expenses.

They said they “value the ability to earn a professional income,” which they weren’t allowed to do while tied to that funding mechanism.

However, they implied that they might continue to accept money from the estate of Harry’s father, Prince Charles, which they said has covered 95 percent of their costs.

The royal family is estimated to be worth $88 billion, according to Forbes. But many of those assets are tied up in inherited land, jewels and palaces, which are not for sale.

Harry and Meghan said they saw themselves carving out “a progressive new role within this institution.”

The headline in the Telegraph newspaper Wednesday night? “Prince Harry and Meghan quit the Firm.”

Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the queen, said it was unclear what Harry and Meghan’s new roles would look like, as there is no precedent for senior royals stepping back in this way.

“It doesn’t put them out of control of the royal machine, but it does put them slightly on the outside,” he said.

Prince Andrew, the second son of the queen, was recently forced to step back from royal duties amid controversy over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and accusations from a woman who said Epstein forced her into sexual encounters with Andrew. Andrew denies those accusations.

Going further back in history, Edward VIII famously abdicated the throne so that he could marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée.

But Harry and Meghan said they would expect to continue some royal duties, including official overseas visits.

Arbiter said that “nobody knows” how they will, in practice, continue to support the queen and manage their charitable affiliations.

Meghan has taken on four patronages, including Smart Works, a nonprofit organization that provides support for unemployed women. Harry, meanwhile, is a patron of 20 organizations, including the Invictus Games, a sporting event he created for wounded service members.

“Maybe they come back and do things for the charities for a [three- or four-month] window,” Arbiter said.

On their Instagram account, Harry and Meghan also teased the launch of a “new charitable entity,” but said they would share those details later.

Although Harry and Meghan framed their decision Wednesday as a progressive one, some royal watchers wondered whether they would have played a more transformative role if the pair stayed more engaged.

“I’m disappointed they have taken this decision,” Arbiter said. “They were doing good work, Harry was doing exceptional work, and this takes them out of the mainstream.”

In a documentary that aired in October, Meghan talked about the media pressure she has faced.

“Not many people have asked if I'm okay,” she said. “But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.” When asked if it would be fair to say that things had been “a struggle,” she said yes.

She said that when she first met the prince, “my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it, because the British tabloids will destroy your life.’ And I very naively — I’m American, we don’t have that there. . . . I didn’t get it.”

Meghan Markle has returned to Canada after announcing her plans to “step back” and become “financially independent” from the royal family, according to multiple reports.
Shortly following her bombshell statement with Prince Harry, in which the couple announced “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family” in order to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” Meghan, 38, flew back to the North American country, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

Harry, 35, meanwhile, remained in England to continue the discussion with the palace about the big move, ITV royal editor Chris Ship tweeted.

Prince Harry and Meghan did not consult any royal about making their personal statement, BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond was told by palace sources.
Buckingham Palace was "blindsided", he said, as talks about their future had begun but were in very early stages.

The palace said there were "complicated issues" to work through.

The couple's announcement raises numerous questions over what their future royal roles will entail.

In stepping back as senior royals, Harry and Meghan have announced they will no longer receive funding from the Sovereign Grant.
The couple said this will make them "members of the Royal Family with financial independence

The Sovereign Grant is public money which pays for the cost of official royal duties, in exchange for the surrender by the Queen of the revenue from the Crown Estate.
The Queen's Sovereign Grant from the Treasury was £82m in 2018-19.

The couple said the Sovereign Grant paid for 5% of their official office from 2019, with the remaining 95% being funded by Prince Charles through his income from the Duchy of Cornwall.

Under current rules, the pair said they are "prohibited from earning income in any form", but in their new roles could follow other title-holding royals in having full-time jobs.
The costs of official overseas visits will be funded by the Sovereign Grant and contributions from the host country "when appropriate".

The couple are classified as "internationally protected people", which means they must have armed security provided by the Metropolitan Police.

They will retain Frogmore cottage, the Grade-2 listed property in Windsor that cost taxpayers £2.4m to renovate, as their official residence so they have a "place to call home" in the UK.

Bryony Gordon, a Daily Telegraph journalist who knows and has interviewed the couple, suggested their decision could be linked to their mental health, after becoming a "punching bag" for a "misogynistic and racist" nation.

In 2017, Ms Gordon interviewed the prince for her Mad World podcast in which he revealed he sought counselling while struggling in his late 20s to cope with the death of his mother.

Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC 5 Live, she said: "Here is a man who every day has to live out the trauma that he experienced as a little boy when he had to walk behind her coffin at the age of 12 in front of the world, and I think if any of us were put in that situation we would find it incredibly triggering."

She added the couple had become a "punching bag for a nation that is still sort of deeply misogynistic and racist" and they were "entitled" to "do what is best" for their family's mental health.

She believes the couple will carry on exactly as before "but just for free", as they're "sick of the scrutiny" that comes with taking public money.

Royal historian Prof Kate Williams said it will be "difficult" for Harry and Meghan to lead "normal" lives, as media interest in them will increase after their "unprecedented" move.
She told BBC Breakfast: "It is going to be difficult if Harry and Meghan are going to live in Canada for a certain period of time and try and get on with business and be normal, charitable CEOs.

"They will require security because I don't see the media interest in them waning, I see it as probably increasing, because what they're doing is so unprecedented for royals."

London's Madame Tussauds museum has announced that it has removed the waxworks of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from its Royal Family set.

"From today, Meghan and Harry's figures will no longer appear in our Royal Family set. As two of our most popular and well-loved figures they will of course remain an important feature at Madame Tussauds London as we watch to see what the next chapter holds for the them," Davies said.

The statues at New York's Tussauds location will follow a similar fate. "To reflect the announcement we will be moving the popular figures to another area in the attraction upon their return to Madame Tussauds New York. We look forward to spending more time with the couple in North America and we will continue to watch to see what the next chapter holds for them," Brittany Williams, spokesperson from Madame Tussauds New York, said in a statement.

Queen Elizabeth has reluctantly agreed to her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s wish for a more independent future after the British royal family held crisis talks on Monday to resolve a widening rift among the Windsors.

Queen Elizabeth has reluctantly agreed to her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s wish for a more independent future after the British royal family held crisis talks on Monday to resolve a widening rift among the Windsors.

“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” Elizabeth said.

“Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”

The statement was highly unusual both in its informal tone and its personal nature, addressing the couple by name rather than by their titles.

Meghan, who is currently in Canada with their infant son Archie, had been expected to join Monday’s discussion by telephone.

But it is unclear how they will pull off a partial pullback from royal roles - which some media have dubbed “Megxit” in a play on Britain’s tortuous Brexit departure from the European Union - or who will pay for a transatlantic lifestyle.

Currently, they are mainly funded by money from Prince Charles’s Duchy of Cornwall estate as their royal roles have precluded them seeking personal incomes.

“These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days,” the queen said in her statement.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said most Canadians are very supportive of having the royals in the country. “But how that looks and what kind of costs is involved, there is still lots of discussions to have,” Trudeau told Global News in a television interview.

There are no provisions in Canada’s Citizenship Act that confer Canadian citizenship status to members of the royal family by virtue of their status as a member of the monarchy, Canada’s immigration department said in an emailed statement.

To become legal permanent residents of Canada, they would need to apply through normal immigration processes, the statement added.

Prince Charles, 71, has long sought a leaner royal family, but it is unclear how Harry and Meghan would fit into that model - especially if they essentially become Hollywood superstars.

In trying to resolve the crisis, the most powerful members of the so-called royal “Firm” are aware that the final outcome could shape the monarchy’s future.

The breakdown in royal relations has dominated the British media for days, with newspapers running a host of stories, based on quotes from unidentified royal insiders, about a split between Harry and William, the Duke of Cambridge, and anger at the top of the family amid suspicion of leaks and ostracism.

Megan Markle has a Masters in International Studies and was active in a number of foundations. I should imagine it would be brain numbing for somebody this intelligent to spend her days attending galas and cutting ribbons.

"negro brooch"
"tainting the bloodline"

Never miss an opportunity do you.