Harry And Meghan Announce They’re Stepping Down From Royal Duties
Quick exit? As soon as they returned from a six-week break from royal duties, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced their decision to step back from royal duties. In a lengthy statement that they posted on Instagram, Prince Harry and Meghan explain how they plan to become financially independent and will split their time between the UK and North America.
The couple wrote: “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
They emphasized how they want to divide their time between the UK and North America, especially for their eight-month-old firstborn Archie, writing: “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.
“We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
This announcement comes as a surprise to everyone, especially their loyal fans, as the couple had only returned to their royal duties on Tuesday. It seems they liked their time-off a little too much. For their first engagement since returning, the couple visited Canada House in London where they met with Janice Charette, High Commissioner in Canada to the UK, as well as staff to thank them for the warm hospitality and support they received during their stay in the country.
This decision from the couple has prompted some fans to speculate that Meghan might return to her acting roots.
“Reasonably sure Meghan can earn a shed load more as an actress than anything they’ll get out of Royal Family,” one user tweeted. another quipped: “Please tell me we’ll be seeing headlines like “Actress Meghan Markle and husband”.
Fans aren’t the only ones taken aback and reacting to the news, as friends of the couple and other celebrities have also commented.
Meghan’s close pal and makeup artist Daniel Martin replied on Instagram: “On the UP and UP in 2020 my friends! Cheers to new beginnings and always here to support your cause.”
Strictly star Oti Mabuse also commented: “Wooooooaaaaahhhh.”
With this announcement, Harry and Meghan have also launched a new website, sussexroyal.com, where they showcase how they plan to continue to serve the monarchy, strengthen the Commonwealth and support the community.
On the website you can see photos from their previous engagements; such as photos from their Australasia tour and high-profile royal events such as Trooping the Color.