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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit royal duties: How the UK reacted to Megxit

All eyes were on the royal family as the world waited for the outcome of their unprecedented crisis summit. And the dramatic front pages after the talks did not disappoint.

Queen wants to show Prince Harry and Meghan are still 'valued' royals

It was the world’s biggest news story and the UK papers did not disappoint when it came to their “Megxit” front pages.

The British media was overwhelmingly sympathetic to the Queen, who had expressed her disappointment over Prince Harry’s wish to quit royal duties in an official statement after the summit.

Typically, the front pages following the unprecedented “abdication” talks at Sandringham were big on drama.

In classic style, British tabloid The Sun came up with a punchy headline that put a spin on a famous royal quote - “Orf you go ... but one is not amused”.

The front page of The Sun after the royal family crisis summit.
The front page of The Sun after the royal family crisis summit.
The Mirror tugs on the heartstrings.
The Mirror tugs on the heartstrings.

The headline was paired with an image of a jubilant Prince Harry and Meghan waving. Below that was an image of the Queen looking sombre during her annual message.

The paper tweeted: “Harry and Meghan get their way as sad Queen gives in to their demands”.

Under a dramatic banner stating “Monarchy in Crisis”, rival tabloid The Mirror ran an image of the Queen looking perplexed with the headline “Queen to Harry: I want you to stay ... but you’re free to go”.

The Daily Express reacts to the summit.
The Daily Express reacts to the summit.
The Daily Mail sides with the Queen.
The Daily Mail sides with the Queen.

The Daily Express ran the headline “Gracious Queen Grants Harry His Wish” alongside images of the Queen looking serious and Meghan smirking.

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Unsurprisingly, Scotland’s Daily Record didn’t give the summit a full front page but they did come up with a clever headline that played on Brexit: “Queen grants a soft Megxit”.

The Daily Record had a clever headline.
The Daily Record had a clever headline.
The Scotsman plays it straight.
The Scotsman plays it straight.

The Scotsman played it straight with the headline “Queen agrees to Harry and Meghan’s bid for new life”.

The Daily Mail went full dramatic with a huge headline declaring “Go ... If You Must”, plastered across an image of the Queen and a shot from the royal couple’s engagement photos showing them walking off arm and arm into the distance.

The Daily Telegraph’s take on Megxit.
The Daily Telegraph’s take on Megxit.
The Guardian states the outcome.
The Guardian states the outcome.

The Daily Telegraph pulled at the heartstrings with a file image of the Queen embracing Prince Harry paired with the headline “The Queen’s reluctant farewell”.

Free commuter tabloid Metro used the same touching image of Her Majesty leaning in to kiss her grandson’s cheek, with the headline that referenced the classic Fleetwood Mac song - “You Can Go Your Own Way”.

Meanwhile, The Guardian showed where their sympathies are with a headline proclaiming “Harry and Meghan get Queen’s backing”.

Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit royal duties: How the UK reacted to Megxit

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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/entertainment/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-quit-royal-duties-how-the-front-pages-reacted-to-megxit/news-story/7d6d94bdaa61c6b2558938317fb4cf08