QUEEN: NO WAY BACK
» Couple stripped of titles early by saddened monarch » Then their response reveals family ‘wounds’
THE Queen yesterday stripped Harry and Meghan of their royal patronages over their decision to quit for a megabucks life in the US.
It came before a review was due on their position next month, and is said to have saddened the monarch. She insisted they “remain much-loved members of the family” but there was “no way back” for the couple. Harry and pregnant Meghan hit back and said: “We can all live a life of service.”
HARRY and Meghan issued a stinging rebuke to the royals yesterday after they were stripped of a range of titles, as the gulf between the parties deepened.
After a string of emergency meetings this week, the Queen insisted there was there was “no way back” for the couple because they had quit for a lucrative life in the US.
She graciously declared they would “remain much loved members of the family”. But Harry and pregnant Meghan immediately hit back with a statement which said: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
A source said the comment “clearly demonstrates the deep wounds of the past remain for at least one side”.
The insider added: “When all is said and done the Queen has a great deal of love and admiration for the pair of them and that will not change, but it must be said, the tone of their statement was a little abrupt.”
Well-placed insiders said the decision to strip Harry of his and Meghan’s royal patronages and the Duke’s military titles, including Captain General of the Royal Marines, came after the couple said they will give what is expected to be a tell-all interview with US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.
They confirmed Buckingham Palace brought forward an official announcement from March 31 – the anniversary of an agreed 12-month review of the couple officially leaving their roles.
A royal source said: “The writing has been on the wall for a long time but the events of the past few days meant the situation had to be brought to an immediate end.
The Queen has always had a great affection for Harry, but she was clear from the offset… ‘duty is everything’. “When Harry and Meghan decided they didn’t want to be part of the collective in favour of making millions in the corporate world, the Queen acted with a heavy heart but knew there was no way back for them.” “The Queen consulted her most trusted lieutenants in Charles and William as well as courtiers on the matter of reaching an agreement with Harry and Meghan.” Buckingham Palace added: “The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of the Royal Family.”
The Queen had warned her beloved grandson, amid his decision to quit The Firm, there would be no room for a “half-in, half-out” role within it.
Harry and Meghan’s bid to seek their “financial freedom” has resulted in them signing mega-deals, including a rumoured £100million contract with Netflix to produce original programmes and a £30million deal with Spotify to host their podcast.
Harry will also lose his military appointments aligned with RAF Honington, and Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving. And the prestigious patronage of the National Theatre the Queen gifted to former actress Meghan in 2019, after holding it herself for 45 years, will be handed to another royal.
The couple, who quit their royal roles to set up home in Montecito,
California, will lose their associations with Commonwealth organisations.
Meghan, 39, was patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and she and Harry each served as president and vice president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.
Harry, 36, has to step away from his associations with the Rugby Football Union, the Rugby Football League.
Harry is thought to have told friends he is “upset” after the Queen ruled he should lose his military appointments, despite serving his country with distinction during two Afghanistan tours.
He will continue his link with the Invictus Games, the event he created in 2014 for injured servicemen and women which has become a global phenomenon.
Meghan will keep her private patronages with Mayhew, a London-based animal welfare charity and Smart Works, which helps women back into employment by offering them smart clothes and interview coaching.
Meghan and Harry’s wedding in May 2018 cost £32million, with an estimated 94% going on the cost of security.
They have promised to reimburse the taxpayer for the £2.4million cost for the renovations of their Frogmore Cottage home, in a multi-year deal of repayments.
The five-bedroom cottage at Windsor Castle will remain their UK home.
Despite the heartache at the centre of the family, there has been substantial support for the couple’s decision to carve their own path. The choice has been emphasised by the fact the couple already announced they would not give their children royal titles.
They will still be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as those titles were wedding “gifts” from the Queen.
The couple are to keep the titles of His and Her Royal Highness but have agreed to not use them.
Their interview with Winfrey, who is worth £2billion, is titled Oprah with Meghan and Harry. The 90-minute special episode airs on Sunday, March 7.
One insider said: “The Oprah interview has been discussed for a long time. They are keen to get their side of the story out there and do things on their terms.”
■ Prince Philip will remain in hospital for “observation and rest” over the weekend and into next week, but remains in good spirits, royal sources said.