Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have agreed to give up their royal titles and stop receiving public funds as part of a settlement with the Queen that lets them spend more private time in Canada.
The announcement from Buckingham Palace on Saturday follows more than a week of intense private talks aimed at managing the fallout of the couple’s shock decision to give up front-line royal duties.
The decision means the couple will stop usings the titles “royal highness” as they assume more ordinary lives that will see them spend more time away from both Britain and the royal family.
“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,” Queen Elizabeth II said in a statement.
“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.”
Her comments referred to battles with the media that prompted Harry and Meghan — known until now as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — to sue several newspapers over intrusions into their private lives.
A separate statement attributed to Buckingham Palace said, “the Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family”.
HRH stands for Her Royal Highness.
“As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from royal duties, including official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for royal duties,” the statement said.
The settlement added that the two will also repay £2.4 million ($3.1 million) of taxpayer’s money spent on renovating their Frogmore Cottage home near Windsor Castle.
The Palace would not comment on who ends up paying for their security detail in Canada — an issue of intense public debate.
It also failed to mention whether the couple would be allowed to benefit financially from future royalties and franchise fees.
Harry and Meghan are seeking to register the “Sussex Royal” brand as a global trademark for their future enterprises.
The couple are dedicated to environmental causes and are looking to develop their charitable foundation as part of a “progressive new role”.
The queen’s announcement is her second on the royal crisis — dubbed Megxit in honour of Britain’s painful battle over Brexit — since Harry and Meghan’s effective resignation on March 8.
“We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the couple said at the time.
“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America.”
Meghan then jetted back to Canada and is now there with their son Archie.
Their announcement caught the royal family by surprise and created a media sensation in both Britain and the wider world.
Their treatment by London’s hard-hitting tabloid press and their personal future — as well as questions about longstanding royal traditions — have turned into daily front-page news.
Media reports said Harry would probably join Meghan and Archie on the west coast of Canada this coming week.
The Queen’s final ruling on her grandson’s future drew immediate comparisons to King Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936.
Edward married the American socialite Wallis Simpson the following year and never returned to Britain.
“Harry is not King (he is sixth in line) but tonight this feels like his and Meghan’s own abdication,” ITV television’s royal editor Chris Ship said on Twitter.
“This isn’t 1936. But it’s still pretty big.”
Meghan must also decide whether she intends to return and spend time in Britain in order to gain her UK citizenship.
The couple’s future tax status also remains unclear.
“I think they are feeling their way into this as much as anyone else is,” Witchell said.
The couple will now officially be known formally as “Harry, The Duke of Sussex” and “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex”.
The Palace statement said the new arrangement “will take effect in the Spring of 2020”. – AFP.
