Royals agree on terms for gradual departure

The Queen is to leave the door open for Prince Harry to return to his honorary military roles after a year, it has emerged, as Buckingham Palace announced that he and wife Meghan will undertake a final flurry of engagements before stepping down as fulltime working members of the British royal family on March 31.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will close their palace office and abandon the ‘‘Sussex Royal’’ branding to set up a new nonprofit foundation.

They will be welcomed back at key points throughout the com- ing year, however, with dates understood to include the Queen’s Birthday Parade in June, as well as a series of final official engagements in March.

The arrangements will be subject to a one-year ‘‘transition’’ period, allowing either side to negotiate changes to ‘‘ensure the arrangement works for all parties’’.

It has been confirmed that Harry’s honorary military roles, including that of Captain General Royal Marines, will not be filled during the trial period, leaving the door open for him to return.

A palace source said: ‘‘The point of the 12-month review is that the family wants the best for them and everyone recognises this is uncharted territory . . . this is a pragmatic family conversation about what’s working and what’s perhaps not working.’’

The couple’s team, who will lose their jobs when the palace office closes, have nevertheless designed a final week of engagements, in what has been jokingly called a ‘‘victory lap’’ between March 5-9.

Though the couple will be based in North America, Harry will return to Britain throughout 2020 to work with his patronages and attend the London Marathon as patron. – Telegraph Group