In a daring and unexpected move, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced on Wednesday evening that they’ve effectively resigned from the royal family.
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In a shocking statement issued on their Instagram account, the couple— who’ve been estranged from the royal family for some time now— confirmed they were taking a “step back” from their royal duties, with plans to split their time between the United Kingdom and Canada.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to support Her Majesty The Queen,” they announced.
“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.”
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.”
“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 brave and unprecedented move— which has been labelled the biggest serious blow to the royal family since the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936— comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex skipped the longstanding traditional royal family Christmas and instead spent six weeks in North America.
The duo is said to feel at home in Canada— a country familiar to actress Meghan who spent years filming the long-running series, Suits. It’s also become clear in recent weeks that Meghan and Harry have a large group of supporters in Canada and America as opposed to their perceived sidelining in royal circles recently.
Their decision to forge a new life outside of Harry’s British family will also mean their son Archie will have a relatively normal upbringing away from the spotlight.
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