Prince Harry And Meghan Markle To Step Down As Senior Members Of The Royal Family

It is understood that no other royal was consulted before the news was released on the Sussex Royal Instagram account last night

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just announced that they will step back from their official duties as ‘senior’ royals, in the hopes of becoming financially independent from the British royal family.

In a post shared to Instagram last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that “after many months of reflection and internal discussions,” they had chosen to “make a transition this year, in starting to carve out a progressive new role” within the royal family. 

“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment,” the couple wrote. “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.”

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“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. 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. 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. 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 Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

The Duke and Duchess also stated that they will continue to “fully support Her Majesty the Queen,” thanking their some ten million followers on the platform for their continued encouragement and support.

Per The Guardian, it is understood that no other royal was consulted about the decision until the news was released on Instagram last night. A brief statement from Buckingham Palace noted that the Sussex’s ground-breaking decision had involved “complicated issues that will take time to work through.”