Prince Harry and Meghan plan to ‘step back’ as senior royals, split time abroad //
Announce they’ll split time between U.K. and North America
LONDON — Britain’s Prince Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth, and his American wife, Meghan, made a surprise announcement on Wednesday evening: that they would “step back” from their roles as senior members of Royal Family and work to become “financially independent” in the United Kingdom and North America.
Such a move abroad, and so far away from the strictures of Buckingham Palace and its many duties, would be bold and remarkable — signalling that two of the younger, most popular royals may be fed up with the anachronistic, cosseted life of endless ribbon-cutting and scripted engagements.
The globally famous couple — friends to Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, George Clooney and the Obamas — have complained bitterly of being pursued by the British tabloids.
The couple have filed lawsuits, and given TV interviews, claiming violations of their privacy. Harry has said he is haunted by memories of his own mother, Princess Diana, being hounded to her death by paparazzi in a tunnel in Paris.
In a post on their Instagram account, the couple said they made the decision to distance themselves from palace life “after many months of reflection and internal discussions.”
“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,” they said.
“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,” Harry and Meghan said in a statement.
The couple did not say where, exactly, they would spend time now. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is from Los Angeles. She is close to her mother, but estranged from her father, who now lives in Mexico.
Before the couple got together, Meghan lived and worked in Toronto, where her legal TV drama “Suits” is filmed. A member of the British Commonwealth
of Nations, Canada might make an appropriate part-time home.
On Tuesday, the couple visited Canada House in central London, where they thanked the Canadian High Commissioner for the hospitality they received during a recent stay in Canada.
Harry, Meghan and their baby, Archie, spent Christmas there and were spotted on Vancouver Island. A front-page story in the Sun tabloid on Wednesday claimed that the couple were considering moving to Canada after the successful holiday.
A Wednesday statement from Buckingham Palace prompted speculation that the Queen may not have been fully informed of the decision before the announcement. The statement read: “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, said that it was unclear how the next stages would work.
He added that “nobody knows” how they will, in practice, continue to support the Queen and work with charities.
Like many on social media, Arbiter speculated the duo would move to Canada.
“Meghan used to live in Canada. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t Canada,” he said..