Why Harry and Meghan have chosen to reside in Canada

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they’ll quit their roles as “senior royals” and move to North America part time.

After weeks of speculation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made the stunning announcement they’re quitting their roles as “senior royals”.

In the statement, the royal couple explained that the decision comes after “months of reflection and international discussions”.

“We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within the institution,” the statement read.

As well as working to become “financially independent” and intending “to step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family”, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also revealed they would no longer reside in Britain full time.

It’s understood arrangements are being made to allow them to live in Canada for a significant portion of the year — having returned to royal duties this week after a successful secret six-week break in the country over Christmas.

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“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 explained.

“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal transition 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 couple, pictured with Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Duchess of Cambridge, will move to North America part time. Picture: AP Photo/Matt Dunham

While Meghan and Harry didn’t specify where in North America they will live, the couple have been outspoken about their fondness of their recent holiday location.

“The warmth and hospitality we were shown while there was unbelievable, and that’s exactly why we chose Canada,” Prince Harry told officials at Canada House earlier this week, the country’s embassy in London’s Trafalgar Square.

“We hope to see you all soon.”

The Duchess also revealed during the visit that the couple’s eight-month-old son Archie was awe-struck by the country’s beauty.

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A picture shared by the couple of Prince Harry and Archie on their Canadian vacation. Picture: Sussex Royal

“Just to be able to take in the warmth that we experience from the people, but also to walk around and to see the beauty of Canada and to see Archie go ‘gasp’ when we walked around, to see how stunning it is … it meant a lot to us,” she told the crowd, according to Harper’s Bazaar.

The move will serve to provide some separation with the British press, following the couple’s decision last year to launch lawsuits against two outlets — The Mail on Sunday and The Sun.

“They have been able to operate in relative privacy during their excursions to Canada — while will certainly appeal to their taste for less press coverage,” historian and British royals expert Marlene Koenig told TIME.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex show their newborn son Archie to Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland. Picture: AFP Photo/Chris Allerton/copyright SussexRoyal

Koenig said that this privacy would be a contributing factor to choosing Canada over the United States — despite Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, who they spent Christmas with on Vancouver Island, residing in Los Angeles.

In the US, Koenig explained, “once you step outside your house there’s no privacy. You can be followed with a camera all day and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The United States is also not part of the Commonwealth — while North America is.

It also holds sentimental value for both the Duke and Duchess. Meghan shot her television show Suits and resided for many years in Canada and Toronto; and Canada is where the pair first met.

More details of the move will be released in “due course”, but it’s understood Harry and Meghan’s official staff will remain at Buckingham Palace.

When in Britain, the two will still live at Frogmore Cottage, “with the permission of Her Majesty the Queen … so that their family will always have a place to call home in the United Kingdom,” according to the Sussex Royal website.