ROYAL REASONS
HARRY gave an extraordinary defence of his wife Meghan Markle as he explained his decision to step down as a royal was his own and that he had “no other option”.
In his first speech since his bid to become financially independent was rejected, the Duke of Sussex said leaving the royal family would bring him “great sadness.”
“What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away,” Harry said. “Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations – but without public funding, unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.
“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 that I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life.”
In the speech at a private reception in London, he went to great lengths to distance Meghan from claims she was responsible for the split.
He said Britain would always be a place he loved and blamed the media for his departure.
The defiant stance comes as Harry patched up his relationship with his brother William after a two-year feud, but is still at war with his dad.
He plans to set up a new life in North America, with Canada as a base, but also with time to be spent in the US.
Harry will be reunited soon with Meghan and ninemonth-old Archie, who have stayed in Canada after their six-week break there became a semi-permanent move.
There are fights among royal aides over how the couple will make their money. The Daily Mirror reported that their combined star power could make their Sussex Royal brand a $2 billion company.
Netflix, which has been on a spending spree, is among the partners looking to work with Harry and Meghan, who plan to set up their own TV production company, it was reported.
They plan to do voice overs for documentaries on worthy causes.
There is no love lost between Harry and his father Prince Charles, 71, who has been growing in influence at Buckingham Palace as the Queen, 93, slows down.
Prince Charles was a key player in the decision to boot Prince Andrew, 59, from royal duties in November, and his say would have swayed the discussions on Harry.
Harry and Meghan will no longer take public money and will repay the $5 million renovations to their British home, Frogmore Cottage, under the deal with the Queen announced at the weekend, which also prevents them using their royal titles.
Prince Charles – who pays Harry and Meghan up to $4 million a year from his investment fund The Duchy of Cornwall – will review the deal in a year as he is worried about the couple’s expensive lifestyle plans, the London Daily Telegraph reported.
A senior royal source told The Sun that Harry and William had sorted out their differences.
“They decided to cut out all the toxic people stirring around them to deal with each other man-to-man as brothers,” the source said. “Given Harry is now permanently moving away, there was a realisation if they didn’t sort things out now, they never would.”
Harry gave his speech at an event for his charity Sentebale, which helps children with HIV in Botswana and Lesotho.
In his speech, which was posted on his @sussexroyal Instagram page, he said he hoped people would listen to his side of the story and rejected criticism of Meghan.
“I also know that you have come to know me well enough over all these years to trust that the woman I chose as my wife upholds the same values as I do,” he said.