On Wednesday, January 8, 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, officially announced on their social media that they would be stepping back from their roles as senior members of the British royal family and plan to work towards becoming “financially independent.”
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The decision is apparently the result of months of deliberation and while for probably many reasons, the royal couple have implied that one of them is their plan to spend more time in North America as a second home to the UK. Since becoming The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan have been known for shying away from royal traditions and for their value of privacy—a perhaps more-than-fair response to the way the media have treated them, especially Meghan.Â
With the recent announcement, Harry and Meghan have also expressed their wishes of becoming “financially independent” from the Palace, palace salaries and expenses being a major point of criticism on the royal family.Â
The move away from the palace has, of course, been announced with respect to Her Majesty The Queen and the other senior members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. However, according to CNN, Harry and Meghan did not consult any other members of the royal family about the decision. The announcement is also a progression from their physical and virtual separation from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last year.
In response to the recent announcement, the Palace has issued the following statement:Â
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.
For more juice on this story, head over to the recently updated website of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, where first-time users will receive an evanescent message from Meghan and Harry:
The goal is to focus on what connects us, rather than what divides us.
