Prince Harry and Meghan Markle surprised the British public — and multiple royal relatives, apparently — by announcing on Wednesday, January 9, that they intend to “step back” from their duties as senior members of the royal family.
“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,” they wrote in an Instagram statement released on Wednesday. “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.”
They stated that their new lives will involve a relocation in North America — for part of the time anyway — after leaving son Archie in Canada under the care of Meghan’s friend Jessica Mulroney and a nanny following the family’s Christmas celebrations there. “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,” they added. “This geographic balance will enable us to raise our 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.”
Harry and Meghan said that they “look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course” and will “continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties.”
The announcement, however, threw some of those “relevant parties” — including Harry’s older brother, Prince William, and grandmother Queen Elizabeth II — for a loop. Scroll down to read more about the ensuing drama.
After the royal couple announced their transition on Wednesday, a source confirmed to Us Weekly that they were forced to share the news early because The Sun was prepping a story on the same topic. A source previously told Us that Harry and Meghan issued the statement without the blessing of Queen Elizabeth II. “It’s not that they didn’t care — it was a miscommunication,” the source said.
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Hours after the announcement, Buckingham Palace issued its own statement. “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” the palace, headed by Queen Elizabeth II, said in the statement on Wednesday. “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
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Thomas Markle, Meghan’s estranged father, expressed his dismay about the news exclusively to Us on Wednesday. “I’ll just simply say I’m disappointed,” he said.
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“William was blindsided by Harry and Meghan’s decision and statement,” a source exclusively told Us on Wednesday, explaining the reaction of Harry’s older brother. “William is incredibly hurt, but at the same time he has his own family to focus on and is trying to move forward with his life.”
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As the news unfolded, stars gave their take on social media. “And that folks, is what power looks like,” Jameela Jamil tweeted. Andy Cohen extended an “open invite for the Duchess to join #RHOBH,” meanwhile, and Ava DuVernay offered to direct a season of The Crown devoted to Harry and Meghan’s drama.
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“The Queen, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Cambridge have directed their teams to work at pace with governments and the Sussexes’ office to find workable solutions, and this is expected to take days, not weeks,” a palace source told Us on Thursday, January 9.
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Samantha Markle, Meghan’s half-sister, slammed the royal couple in an interview with Inside Edition on Thursday. “It is a slap in the face,” she said. “I think what is shocking is the lack of consideration for the people involved, the British royal family, the promises that were originally made to honor royal duties and to lead by example.”
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Amid the hubbub, CNN reported on Friday, January 10, that the former Suits star had traveled to Canada.
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The British monarch looked concerned while out for a drive through her Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, on Friday.
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Meghan reportedly signed a voiceover deal with Disney amid the royal drama. According to reports, the Suits alum’s contract requests that a contribution of her salary will be given to the wildlife charity Elephants Without Borders.
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“William’s done everything in his power to help his brother over the years and feels totally let down by his ‘reckless’ and ‘selfish’ actions. The way he sees it, Harry’s thrown all the good advice he gave him back in his face,” an insider told Us. “When Harry was feeling low or had problems, William was always there for him, as was Kate. Kate’s incredibly hurt too. She acted as a mentor to Harry before Meghan came into the picture and hates seeing her husband so upset.”
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According to an insider, the queen was “furious” but “urging” the brothers “to put on a united front” as the situation continued to make headlines. “But right now, William and Harry refuse to make amends — they’re both being stubborn, especially Harry.”
The two princes, did, however, release a rare joint statement to deny The Times of London’s story that William’s “bullying attitude” led the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to step down on January 13: “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful.”
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British journalist Tom Bradby teased Harry and Meghan’s first interview after stepping down in an op-ed for the Sunday Times on January 12.
“I have some idea of what might be aired in a full, no-holds-barred, sit-down interview and I don’t think it would be pretty,” he wrote, noting that “a protracted war could be very bloody” if the royal family doesn’t broker a “meaningful peace deal” with the couple.
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Harry and William met with their dad and the queen on January 13. After the meeting, the monarch broke her silence on the drama. “Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” the statement read. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
The statement continued: “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days.”
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The queen announced in a statement on January 18, 2020, that she and the couple had come to an agreement about their new roles, which will see Harry and Meghan lose their His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness titles and completely step down as working members of the royal family. “Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family,” the monarch said. “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members of the family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.”
Buckingham Palace stared in a statement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said they wish to repay the Sovereign Grant money that was spent on refurbishing Frogmore Cottage at the queen’s Windsor estate, which will remain their U.K. home.
The agreement will also see the couple keeping their patronages, except for Harry’s three military roles: Captain General Royal Marines, Royal Air Force: Squadron Leader, Small Ships and Diving, and Royal Naval Command: Commodore-in-Chief, ABC News reported.
Their transition period will be complete in spring 2020, but Harper's Bazaar's royal correspondent Omid Scobie reported that there is the option for the agreement to be reviewed in 2021.
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Following the queen’s announcement on January 18 regarding the couple’s new roles within the family — and the loss of their HRH titles — Prince Harry addressed his step back from senior royal duties for the first time at a dinner for supporters of his Sentebale charity in London on January 19.
“The U.K. is my home and a place that I love,” he told the room of supporters. “That will never change.” Harry, who is sixth in line for the British throne, then admitted that although he and Meghan were “hopeful” and “were here to serve” once they got married, things have changed. He admitted that the new arrangement “brings me great sadness” and the choice to step back was “not one I made lightly.”
The former military captain reassured the British people that his family is not “walking away” from them despite their change in duties and splitting time between two countries.
“Our hope was to serve the queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible,” he explained. “I’ve accepted this knowing that it doesn’t change who I am, or how committed I am. But I hope that helps you understand what it had come to. That I would step my family back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope will be a more peaceful life.”
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Prince Harry returned to Vancouver Island, Canada, on January 21, to reunite with Meghan and Archie, who’ve been in the country for more than a week without him. Harry was seen deboarding a plan that morning with a bag slung over his shoulder and dressed casually in cold-weather gear, including a beanie. The prince spent much of the day prior in London attending the 2020 U.K.-Africa Investment Summit while his wife was photographed out with Archie and their two dogs in Vancouver Island.
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A source told Us that William and Harry are utilizing “different coping mechanisms” as they deal with the fallout of their rift. “Harry’s more sensitive and emotional than William – he takes everything so personally. He can be rather impulsive at times,” the source told Us in February. “Harry wants the world to know that no one should suffer in silence, which is why he opened up about [his late mother] Princess Diana and going to therapy. Meghan is his rock. He first opened up to Meghan about the trauma he went through dealing with his mom’s death shortly after they met — it was during their trip to Africa.”
The insider noted that William is “a more logical thinker.”
“He doesn’t let things let things get to him, like Harry does. That’s not to say William has a heart of steel — he’s actually an incredibly loving and kind man, he just has a different way of dealing with emotions and is more level-headed than his brother,” the source said. “If William has a problem, he’ll talk to Kate about it. William confides in her about everything.”
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Reports surfaced on February 1 that Meghan was joining her bestie Jessica Mulroney on her new Netflix reality series, I Do Redo, but Ben Mulroney shut the rumors down. “@ctv_pr told you yesterday that your facts were inaccurate. You ran the story anyway. So I’ll say this as clearly as I can: Meghan Markle is not appearing nor was she ever set to appear on my wife’s show,” he wrote.
While other sites claimed that Netflix opted not to cover Harry and Meghan’s story on the popular royal drama The Crown, actor Jared Harris told Us that there were never plans to “go that far” into the monarch’s story.
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Harry and Meghan made their first joint appearance after their step down in Miami at a JPMorgan event on February 6. Days later, the twosome secretly visited Stanford University in California to meet with professors about their new charitable foundation.
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“Harry and Meghan escaped the chaos back home and are genuinely happy,” an insider told Us in February. “They’re really enjoying Canada; it’s a completely different world from what they’re used to in London. The locals don’t bother them, and they have the freedom to do whatever they want. Meghan endured a lot of stress in England. She’s happy to be away from all that. Right now they’re all about getting Archie settled.”
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While Harry and Meghan filed paperwork to trademark their personal foundation, Sussex Royal The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in December 2019, the palace announced they would not be allowed to use the term “Sussex Royal” after their decision to step back.
“Their non-profit organization, when it is announced this spring, will not be named Sussex Royal Foundation,” the palace said in a statement in February. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ in any territory post spring 2020. Therefore, the trademark applications that were filed as protective measures, acting on advice from and following the same model for The Royal Foundation, have been removed.”
Harry and Meghan responded with a statement of their own, which read in part, “While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.”
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from Celebrity News – Us Weekly https://ift.tt/36HpQQF
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