QUEEN ORDERS A HARD MEGXIT
»»Royal couple will no longer use HRH titles as they quit official duties »»They’ll spend most time in North America and be free to work »» They agree to pay back £2.4m spent on Frogmore Cottage
HARRY and Meghan were cut loose from the royals last night in a “hard Megxit” ordered by the Queen.
They will not use their HRH titles, nor formally represent Her Majesty. The couple will spend most of their time in North America and repay £2.4million spent on their Windsor home. The Queen said in a statement: “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family.”
PRINCE Harry and Meghan won their freedom from the Royal Family last night – but at a heavy price.
In a deal which effectively sees them out in the cold they will not use their HRH titles, will no longer formally represent the Queen and will not receive public funds for royal duties.
Buckingham Palace said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to repay £2.4million used to do up Frogmore Cottage – the Windsor home they will continue to use when in the UK.
But they will spend the majority of their time in North America – which means chilly Canadian winters – after deciding to step back as senior royals.
In a significant move Harry will also relinquish any military duties.
The new arrangements take effect from the spring – putting paid to the couple’s proposal last week that they could continue as part-time royals and perform overseas tours.
Effectively the Queen – after discussions with Prince Charles, Harry and his brother William – made it clear there was no halfway house.
They were either in or out – and last night’s statements show they are out.
The Queen said in an emotional statement: “Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family.
CHALLENGES
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over two years and support their wish for a more independent life.
“I want to thank them for all their dedicated work and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.”
The 93-year-old monarch ordered an agreement to be reached with the couple in just 10 days.
The key details of the deal were contained in a Palace statement.
It said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are grateful to Her Majesty and the Royal Family for their ongoing support as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
“They understand they are required to step back from royal duties, including official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for royal duties.
“With The Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty.
“The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their wish to repay Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home.
“This new model will take effect in the spring of 2020.”
However, in a sign that the royals want to keep the couple close and monitor their activities, royal aides confirmed all agreements will be reviewed in a year’s time.
Officially, they retain the HRH title – which was removed from Princess Diana after her divorce from Charles.
The couple are now free to seek new jobs allowing them to strike mega deals in the corporate world. But any private contracts will take months to be agreed over fears their ventures could sully the royal brand.
Harry, 35, was born a prince of Wales and will remain a prince.
Prince Charles has assured son Harry and Meghan, 38, that he will continue to support them financially.
It has not been decided whether they will be able to continue with their
“Sussex Royal” brand used to cultivate 10.8million Instagram followers.
PR gurus say it could be worth £500million in the first year alone.
A royal insider said last night: “Harry and Meghan have got their wish, but no one can be really sure what the future will hold for them.”
Home Office mandarins and their Canadian counterparts are finalising terms to pay for the family’s security arrangements after more controversy over who would meet the payments.
A Palace spokesman said: “There are well-established independent processes to determine the need for publicly funded security.”
Harry will also give up his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, which is likely to cause great concern
in the charity sector. A royal insider said: “This represents a quite simply staggering turn of events. After less than two years of marriage, when the public held them in such high regard, Harry and Meghan have quit. The Queen, along with Prince Charles and Prince
William acted decisively so there would be no grey area, they could not have their cake and eat it, to be parttime royals, so they had no choice but to step back completely.
“This is without a doubt one of the most remarkable turn of events in modern royal history.”
The couple suggest they will continue to represent their patronages of British organisations and charities, of which Harry has 14 and Meghan four. Harry is expected to rejoin Meghan and son Archie on Vancouver Island, Canada, in the coming days.
Meghan fled there just 24 hours after the couple released their bombshell statement saying they wanted to step back as senior royals and become financially independent.
The couple’s plans, announced after a six-week break over the Christmas period in Canada, caught the rest of the royals by surprise and reportedly left the Queen and other members of the family hurt and disappointed.
Harry and Meghan’s agreement to pay back the funds spent on Frogmore Cottage comes after a public backlash over their announcement.
The Grade-II listed building, which the couple moved into nine months ago, will stay as their UK home.
The couple – millionaires in their own right – faced public fury when it emerged £2.4million of taxpayer funds was used to renovate their new home.
The four-bed home close to Windsor Castle underwent major work to turn five properties into a single mansion.
When Meghan and Harry decided to walk away from the Royal Family, and the duties that entails, they hoped to have their cake and eat it.
Last night the Queen took that cake away. She made clear to her grandson and his wife that self-banishment for a cushy life in Canada will come at a cost – and now the couple are handing £2.4million back to the taxpayer for tarting up their Frogmore Cottage home.
But the most eye-catching change in their circumstances is that they will not be using their HRH titles.
This is how it should be. Only those who do the work of Royal Highnesses should be allowed to call themselves such.
If they are planning to endorse commercial products to make a few bob that is not a label they can attach to them.
The Queen has acted decisively but compassionately, firmly but proportionately.
As always, she is to be commended for her good sense.
We’re saddened Harry and Meghan felt the need to escape, but the now semi-detached royal couple have learned a lesson ordinary folk face every day.
Decisions have consequences. And there is no such thing as free cake.