Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are abdicating the throne — in a relatively minor way.
The Sussex royals announced Wednesday that, "after many months of reflection and internal discussions," they "intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family." That announcement does come with a promise that they'll "fully support Her Majesty The Queen," but reveals they'll "work to become financially independent" and "balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America."
View this post on Instagram
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. 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. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. 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. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST
The news comes as Harry and Meghan took continued steps to distance themselves from the royal family, especially considering the criticism and outright racism Meghan has faced from British tabloids.
Harry and Meghan discussed more about their plan to become financially independent on their website, saying they chose to "no longer receive funding through the Sovereign Grant" that funds the royal family's lives.
Now, to figure out what to call them.
