In news that has surprised the world, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they will be stepping down as ‘Senior members of the royal family’.
After returning from a six-week hiatus in Canada, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle have announced they plan to become financially independent and split their time between the UK and North America.
“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.
“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.
“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment,” the couple said in an official statement.
“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.”
Harry and Meghan, who are parents to eight-month-old Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, have made the decision to enable them to raise their 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.”
The post concluded by saying: “For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com,” which is a new website run by the couple.
Under the section “media”, a new policy was announced.
“Their sincere hope is that this change in media policy will enhance access and give the Duke and Duchess the ability to share information more freely with members of the public,” it read.
They also explained that they will stop working with the Royal Rota system, a dedicated group of print and broadcast media who are given special access to royal engagements.
Due to global interest, and a flurry of Harry and Meghan fans rushing to their brand new site, over the course of Wednesday morning, the server crashed on and off.
After the announcement, the Queen released a statement on behalf of Buckingham Palace.
“Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” the statement read.
“We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
Prince Harry and Meghan returned to the spotlight after spending the holiday season in Canada this week, visiting Canada House in London.
Meeting with Janice Charette, the High Commissioner of Canada to the UK and her staff, they used the time to thank the Canadians for their support and warm hospitality during their stay.
