*Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made the stunning announcement that they will take “a step back” as senior members of the royal family.
The couple will instead work independently, living in/travelling between both the United Kingdom and North America, PEOPLE reports.
In a statement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said the decision came “after many months of reflection and internal discussions.”
They will continue to work with Queen Elizabeth II, 93, as well as Harry’s father Prince Charles, and his older brother, Prince William.
Read the full statement below.
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“We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the couple shared on Instagram Wednesday. “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,” the statement read.
“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages,” they continued. “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.”
The couple will keep their royal titles.
“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.”
Harry and Meghan’s announcement comes months after they opened up in an ITV documentary about royal life.
“I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And that’s the part that’s really hard to reconcile,” the former “Suits” actress explained to host Tom Bradby.
“If things are fair, that completely tracks for me if things are fair,” she added. “If I do something wrong I’d be the first one to go, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I would never do that,’ but when people are saying things that are just untrue and they’re being told they’re untrue but they’re allowed to still say them, I don’t know anybody in the world who would feel that that’s OK. And that’s different than just scrutiny. That’s, what would you call that? That’s a different beast. It’s really a different beast.”
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