Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit as ‘senior’ royals, in a move described by the Queen as ‘complicated’
In a move dubbed ‘Megxit’, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have sensationally quit their roles as senior royals, prompting spirited reactions from the world’s media.
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They stunned the world by announcing they have quit their roles as ‘senior’ royals, in a dramatic move dubbed “Megxit”.
Now, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have explained why, including that they have completely overhauled their communications policy “to reflect their new roles” and prompting some furious (and lighthearted) newspaper front pages in the wake of their shock announcement.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have sensationally removed themselves from the so-called “royal pool” system, meaning a string of British media outlets will no longer have exclusive access to cover their official events and appearances.
And there is suggestion they will no longer co-operate with royal correspondents either.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be adopting a revised media approach to ensure diverse and open access to their work,” the couple said, on their official website.
“This adjustment will be a phased approach as they settle into the new normality of their updated roles.”
The announcement came after Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, revealed they are stepping down as full-time members of the royal family and will move abroad – to North America, including Canada – in an effort to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution”.
For now, they are keeping their royal titles. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s dramatic new public relations policy will include using their Instagram account, “sussexroyal”, to communicate with followers, saying they would “continue to share information directly to the wider public via their official communications channels”.
‘COMPLICATED ISSUES’
The Queen delivered a rather blunt response to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s announcement, describing the move as “complicated”.
She said the discussions were at an “early stage” and involved “complicated issues”, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace, with reports suggesting the Queen was completely blindsided by the public statement.
“We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” a spokeswoman for the Queen added in the written response.
It came hours after Prince Harry and former Suits actor Meghan dropped a bombshell — that they will become part-time royals and no longer be based permanently in the UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to spend a significant amount of the year in Canada, where the couple recently had a six-week holiday.
They also intend to distance themselves from the public purse strings and pay their own way.
The couple announced their plans in a statement today, leaving royal-watchers reeling and the Queen “disappointed”.
“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,” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said in a statement posted on their social media feeds.
“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.”
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they would spend more time overseas, with time in Canada and the US.
“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,” the couple said.
“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.
The statement continued: “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.”
Meghan’s estranged family has been uncharacteristically quiet lately, with her father Thomas Markle issuing a statement to Us Weekly, saying he was “disappointed” to learn of his daughter and son-in-law’s move away from royal ties.
“I’ll just simply say I’m disappointed,” Mr Markle, 74, told the American gossip magazine.
‘MEGXIT’
The front pages of newspapers around the world feature Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s news … to hilarious effect.
Headlines have included references to them being “commoners” now, with the move dubbed “Megxit” – a play on Brexit – by The Sun and New York Post.
Featuring an image of Meghan with curlers in her hair, and Prince Harry clutching a can, the Post imagined what a post-royal life might look like for the Duke and Duchess.
Meantime, Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal expert and former editor of the International Who’s Who, described Harry and Meghan’s announcement as an “earthquake” for the royal family.
“The real story has yet to be told, or most of it,” he told News Corp Australia.
Mr Fitzwilliams compared the couple’s decision to King Edward’s decision to abdicate the throne.
“This is unprecedented since 1936,” he said. “It’s grossly irresponsible.”
Royal biographer Penny Junor said she was concerned for Harry and Meghan following their shock announcement.
“I don’t think they have thought this through properly,” Ms Junor told News Corp today.
“They have an expensive lifestyle, how are they ever going to make the millions needed to fund that while dedicating themselves to charity?”
The announcement from the couple has been a crisis for the royal family, but still does not compare to Prince Andrew’s scandal.
“Prince Andrew is another matter altogether,” Ms Junor added.
BBC royal reporter Jonny Dymond said “no other member of the royal family was consulted” before the Sussexes released their personal statement, and the Queen was “disappointed”.
Harry and Meghan’s move to Canada would keep the couple away from the British press and the intense public spotlight in the UK.
But questions are being raised over how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle intend to fund their lifestyle, with the couple set to lose up to $A3.8 million each year if they break away from the royal family.
However, British taxpayers are still expected to pick up their annual $A1.1 million security bill.
‘DIFFERENT PATHS’
This is the second major announcement that Harry and Meghan have made without warning the Queen first.
The couple launched two lawsuits against newspapers, including the Mail on Sunday and The Sun, with The Mail on Sunday case linked to reports about Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle.
Prince Harry and Prince William have also gone on “different paths” with ongoing reports of a rift between the once-close brothers.
Friends of the couple in Canada and the US are supportive of the move, which they say comes after the couple have been sidelined by the monarchy.
A source close to the couple told to The Sun: “It is true that Harry and Meghan will spend a fair amount of time in Canada over the next couple of months and possibly going forward too.
“Right now they are starting talks with their family about their plans for the future,” the source said.
“There is a very careful and serious process to go through which they are going to respect.
“But it is clear they are on a different and unique path, and they are very much thinking about what the future looks like for them.”
“That could include being based in Canada or the possibility of walking away from their HRH titles, although hopefully it will not come to that.
“It’s been a very tough year — they’re newlyweds and they have a young baby — so they’re looking at what their life looks like in the future. Everything is on the table.”
“Meghan feels comfortable and at home there because she lived there for seven years before meeting Harry,” the source said, according to The Sun.
“They very much enjoyed their time over Christmas and New Year where they weren’t pictured once and were left alone.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official staff will remain at Buckingham Palace.
But the couple are expected to work closely with the controversial US PR company Sunshine Sachs to launch the Sussex Royal Foundation in the coming months.
The friend added: “They took a genuine break over Christmas. But they are back working and planning the launch of the Sussex Royal Foundation and Sunshine Sachs are involved in that.”
Their friends argue it has become clear to the couple that the monarchy is moving towards a future focused on Prince Charles and Prince William.
One said: “They are back to work. They have nothing to hide and have got so much good work to do.
“But it has been made very clear by the institution that the Sussexes are not central to the future plan.
“Just look at the picture released last week of the Queen with the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and George.”
WHY MEGHAN AND HARRY SNUBBED ROYAL CHRISTMAS
The royal couple spent their first Christmas with baby Archie at a rented $14.1 million home in Vancouver Island.
They were also visited by Meghan Markle’s mum Doria Ragland, snubbing a royal Christmas at Sandringham just days after Prince Philip was taken to hospital.
Prince Harry held his Invictus Games for wounded soldiers in the Canadian city of Toronto in 2017. The couple made their first public appearance watching a wheelchair tennis game.
Meghan Markle was based in the city while filming US legal drama Suits, which she appeared in from 2011 until 2017.
She put her three-bedroom townhouse up for sale in December 2017, weeks after the pair announced their engagement. It sold for £1.2 million the following month.
Prince Harry spoke of his desire to leave the UK in controversial ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey last October, as Meghan admitted she was struggling with royal life.
“It’s not enough to just survive something, right? That’s not the point of life. You’ve got to thrive, you’ve got to feel happy,” the Duchess of Sussex told the doco.
“I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip.
“I tried, I really tried. But I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”
In October, Prince Harry wrote in a scathing statement suggesting that Meghan was “one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences”.
He compared Meghan’s treatment to that of his late mother, Princess Diana: “I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
This week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle return to their first official duty of the year, visiting Canada House in London for a meeting with High Commissioner Janice Charette.
The purpose of the meeting was to “thank them for the warm Canadian hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada”.
Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit as ‘senior’ royals, in a move described by the Queen as ‘complicated’