Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially stepped back as “senior” members of the royal family.
On March 31 AEST, the couple took to their official Instagram page, Sussex Royal — which has now been removed — promising to “reconnect soon” while “thanking the community for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world.”
Followed by a simple sign off — Harry and Meghan — it closed the door on their royal life.
On April 1, Buckingham Palace released one final statement about the couple signifying their independence.
According to the British news outlet, Town and Country, it read:
“Effective March 31, 2020, no other Royal communications representatives act on behalf of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, including Palace spokespeople, Household representatives nor Royal sources.”
“Going forward, Buckingham Palace will no longer comment/guide on Sussex related enquiries.”
From now on, their communications will be managed by the US-based agency Sunshine Sachs and the UK-based James Holt, while the Sussexes build a brand new team.
In addition, the statement also addressed the coronavirus pandemic, saying that Harry and Meghan are starting their new lives at a complicated time.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would prefer that in the immediate weeks and months, the focus remains on the global response to COVID-19. However, we recognise there are outstanding questions relating to their future beyond their Household transition deadline,” it said.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will spend the next few months focusing on their family and continuing to do what they can, safely and privately, to support and work with their pre-existing charitable commitments while developing their future non-profit organisation.”
In their own statement on their Instagram on Monday, they also addressed the fragility of the world.
“As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile. Yet we are confident that every human being has the potential and opportunity to make a difference—as seen now across the globe, in our families, our communities and those on the front line—together we can lift each other up to realise the fullness of that promise.”
Harry and Meghan are no longer senior members of the royal family, however, will formally remain as “His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.”
They will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will not be working members of the family.
