Make no mistake, Prince Harry and Meghan have quit the royal family
They were supposed to be the hope of the side, the couple that would modernise the royal family. But Meghan and Harry had other ideas.
They’ve quit.
Make no mistake, that’s what’s happened in London this morning.
Meghan and Harry have quit, to spend less time with their family*.
It’s not quite the abdication, but it’s enormous news.
They were the hope of the side, these two.
They were supposed to be there, to modernise the royal family, Meghan being American, and divorced, with an African American Mum, and also older than her man, like any of that has ever been as controversial as, say, chopping the head off one of your wives.
They’ve decided no.
“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,” the statement said.
“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
He’s putting her first. Meghan has made plain that it has been difficult for her. There’s a role she has to play, and it chafes, because she’s been independent.
There will be criticism.
That wedding — horse drawn carriages and gun salutes — cost a fortune, but I suppose the family’s always got to pay for the wedding and the public did love it.
They’ve been flying around the world — but it is work.
There will be endless scrutiny as to the final straw.
Is the royal family racist?
Sexist?
Too old-fashioned?
Too controlling?
Is there too much scrutiny? Does she plain and simple miss her Mum?
The statement said they couple wants to be “financially independent”.
Look, we don’t know the details, but that’s likely a bit cute. They’re going to have a pile of money.
They want to work on “charitable causes” and plan to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution”. More woke, in other words.
They want to live mainly in the US, whilst supporting the Queen. That’s not exactly low maintenance (or good for the planet, in these days of flight guilty).
But they’ve done it. They’ve quit. And part of you may be thinking: well, good for her. For him, well, mid-30s is rather old to be rebelling against the family, but perhaps she’s given him the courage, or else no choice. It may well be good for them. But it’s very bad for his family.
* Hat tip: the first to use that line was, I think, the Financial Times’ Mark di Stefano.
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