NE NEWS SERVICE
LONDON, JAN 10
Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle have stunned the nation by announcing plans to ‘step back’ as senior royals to divide time between the UK and US, a move being viewed as a split within the UK’s royal household.
In an extraordinary statement released on Wednesday night, the couple announced plans to step back from their current roles and split their time between the UK and North America with their eight-month old son, Archie.
Buckingham Palace described the process as “complicated” as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their intention after months of “reflection” to become financially independent and set up their own charitable entity as they carve out a new role for themselves in the New Year.
“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,” their statement notes.
It adds: “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.”
As the couple unveiled their “exciting next step”, it seemed that the other royals, including Harry’s 93-year-old grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, were taken by surprise. According to the BBC, the palace was “blindsided” by the announcement as the couple did not consult any senior royal before issuing the unprecedented statement. A royal source told The Sun, “Their statement was not cleared with anyone. It breaks all protocol. This is a declaration of war on the family. There is fury over how they’ve done this without any thought for the implications for the institution. The Queen is deeply upset. The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are incandescent with rage.”
Harry, 35, is currently sixth in line to the British throne, after his father Charles, elder brother William and Williams’s three children.
What went wrong?
The couple has been unhappy with what they felt was intrusive press coverage. Harry compared it to the way the press hounded Princess Diana, before her death in 1997. Meghan has said that as an American she did not understand the level of scrutiny the royals faced in Britain and has found her transition difficult.
Skipped Christmas dinner
Harry and his family skipped the queen’s traditional Christmas gathering at her Sandringham estate to visit Canada and see Markle’s mother Doria in California.
Rift with William
There has been talk of an alleged split between the brothers. Harry and Meghan last year opted out of living at Kensington Palace, where William and his family lives, and moved to Frogmore Cottage at Windsor. Courtesy: Agencies & Daily Mail.
