UK's Harry and Meghan to drop titles and retire as working royals

Michael Holden, Andy Bruce
 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leave Canada House in London, Britain January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will no longer be working members of Britain’s monarchy and they will pay their own way in life as they embark on an independent future, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday.

 

They will also no longer use their “Royal Highness” titles, the palace said in an announcement that sought to end turmoil in the monarchy sparked earlier this month when the couple announced they wanted to reduce their official duties and spend more time in North America.

 

The queen and senior family members met last week to discuss the situation and have been in “constructive and friendly” discussions with officials on how this stepping back would work in practice for Harry, 35, and his American wife, former actress Meghan, 38.

 

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family,” Queen Elizabeth said in a statement issued by the palace, referring to the couple’s baby son.

 

“I recognize 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.”

 

The queen said she was “particularly proud” of how quickly Meghan had become one of the family. The couple married in May 2018 in a lavish ceremony at her home in Windsor Castle, west of London in front of a global TV audience of millions.

 

Harry will remain a prince and the couple will keep their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they begin a new life split between North America and Britain, but they will not take part in any future ceremonial events or royal tours.

 

Royal commentators said it amounted to an “abdication” from the royal family and showed that under the warm words, the queen had taken a firm and decisive line.

 

“It is harder to think of a much cleaner break than this. Harry and Meghan are still members of the Royal Family, but they are effectively no longer royal”, the BBC’s royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, said.

 

Meghan is currently in Canada with Archie and Harry is expected to join her soon.

 

A palace spokeswoman said the couple would no longer receive public money and that they would repay the cost of refurbishing their cottage in Windsor, which official figures show amounted to 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million).

 

It remained unclear what public funds would be spent on their security. Buckingham Palace declined to comment but said there was an independent process to determine public funding for security.

 

The office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to comment on Saturday’s news.

 

ROYAL PAIN

The couple’s plans for independence, announced after a long break over the Christmas period in Canada, caught the rest of the royal family by surprise earlier this month and left the queen and other senior Windsors hurt and disappointed, according to royal sources.

 

However, in a TV interview aired in October, both had made it clear how they were struggling with the immense media attention. Harry said he felt his wife had faced “bullying” from some tabloids.

 

A friend of Harry and Meghan also said last week the couple felt they had been driven out by some members of the royal family.

 

The changes will come into effect in the spring of this year, the palace said, and there will be further royal engagements before the new arrangement is implemented, although it was not clear whether Meghan would be involved.

 

The situation will be reviewed in a year’s time by senior royals - the queen, Harry’s father and heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and Harry’s elder brother Prince William.

 

There has been intense media speculation in recent days over what exact roles the couple would have.

 

“As agreed in this new arrangement they understand they are required to step back from royal duties,” the Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said on Saturday.

 

“The Sussexes will not use their HRH title as they are no longer working members of the royal family.”

 

‘NO HALFWAY HOUSE’

The change means Harry, who served a decade in the British Army, will give up his military patronages and his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

 

It was not immediately clear whether the couple could continue to use the “Sussex Royal” title for their website and branding.

 

While they will no longer receive public funding, Prince Charles will continue to offer private financial support, a royal source said.

 

The source said the couple will spend the majority of their time in North America, and had not signed any commercial agreements as yet.

 

“Although 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 palace spokeswoman said.

 

Before their wedding, Harry’s spokesman said that Meghan was seeking to become a British citizen, but rules specify that prospective Britons spend the vast majority of their time in the United Kingdom. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the issue.

 

“I think the queen has dealt with this crisis because she has absolutely drawn the line: you can be private people, but you cannot be royal at the same time,” Alastair Bruce, a commentator on the royals, told Sky News.

“There’s no halfway house.”

 

Reporting by Michael Holden in London; Writing by Andy Bruce; Editing by Frances Kerry and Matthew Lewis

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-19

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And so they should...if they don,t want to do the job (and fair play to them) then they don,t get the "perks" that goes with it.....feel sorry for Harry though...he,s being "lead up the garden path" so to speak

(snip) never had any intention of making it work, she was all for grabbing what she could then planning her exit. Saying they felt pushed out is as pathetic as playing the race card. They are still calling themselves HRH on their woke website, even though they are not allowed to. Best that can happen is they <deleted> off for good and everyone forgets about them, but she will probably divorce the sap in about three years and marry a billionaire or film star, she is a feminist after all ????

9 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

It remained unclear what public funds would be spent on their security. Buckingham Palace declined to comment but said there was an independent process to determine public funding for security.

So we, the taxpayers still fund their security, the cost of which will at least double now they are based in Canada. Talk about giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

23 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

But we still have to pay millions for their security ,and i bet they still keep their titles ,at least he will when they divorce and comes back ,anyway lets face it ,he is not a real"royal ,anyone can see who his dad really was ,they are like two peas in a pod . and both ginger.

how do you know it will cost millions for their security

16 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

So we, the taxpayers still fund their security, the cost of which will at least double now they are based in Canada. Talk about giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

where do you get those figure from - double

 

talking about security how much did the Uk spend on Assange, that was a total waste of money

 

I think they as a young family with children are doing the correct thing and getting to a country that has more scope for them, in their shoes i would do the same thing, all young families should think along the same lines, the Uk is not the place it once was.

Relinquishing HRH places them on par with Diana, Fergie and Anne's children who are (or returned to being) 'normal people' while remaining peripheral members of the firm. I would like to see Andrew lose it too, given he's effectively been busted!

 

Patenting the brand 'Sussex Royal' will need to be looked at too. A Regiment by that name (The Royal Sussex Regiment) served with distinction in the British Army until 1966 when they morphed into The Queens Regiment (3rd Bn) and latterly into a Regiment Named after Harry's Mother. Many veterans from the R Sussex are still alive and are understandably miffed that their brand has been hi-jacked.

 

I am not sure where this is going but I wish him all the best.

Edited January 19, 20206 yr by evadgib

36 minutes ago, steve187 said:

how do you know it will cost millions for their security

where do you get those figure from - double

 

talking about security how much did the Uk spend on Assange, that was a total waste of money

 

I think they as a young family with children are doing the correct thing and getting to a country that has more scope for them, in their shoes i would do the same thing, all young families should think along the same lines, the Uk is not the place it once was.

No wonder the boy wants to sling his hook. The media hounded his mother to her death and it now seems they are intent on doing the same to her son.

 

He did not ask to be born into the Royal Family and I'm not surprised he wants out of it. I for one am sick and tired of having this claptrap forced down our throats day in and day out.

 

Good luck to him and I'm sure he's able to paddle his own financial canoe. So will she, she's already worth a fortune.

 

And who knows when they tire of one another we might even see Harry trying his luck in Pattaya's LK Metro or Soi 6 in about 20 years time. Let's hope he does it incognito. That's if LKM and Soi 6 are still there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 20206 yr by yogi100

Posts using derogatory terms have been removed.

 

This not a schoolyard and juvenile name calling will be removed as "trolling"

2 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

So we, the taxpayers still fund their security, the cost of which will at least double now they are based in Canada. Talk about giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

That is not quite accurate. The announcement from Buck House says there will be a process, "to determine the need for publicly funded security." So that means it hasn't been decided yet whether they will need publicly funded security and if so, how much. 

1 hour ago, yogi100 said:

No wonder the boy wants to sling his hook. The media hounded his mother to her death and it now seems they are intent on doing the same to her son.

 

He did not ask to be born into the Royal Family and I'm not surprised he wants out of it. I for one am sick and tired of having this claptrap forced down our throats day in and day out.

 

Good luck to him and I'm sure he's able to paddle his own financial canoe. So will she, she's already worth a fortune.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nobody hounded his mother to death. She wanted the press when it suited her. She manipulated the press. I liked Diana but she really used her beauty and popularity with the British public to get her own way. Obviously, when she starts messing around with Muslim men, there was more than one by the way, as a senior  member of the Royal family and mother of the future King, she is going to come under the microscope.

 

No, he didn't ask to be in the Royal family but was happy with his lot until he met her.

 

He was very much a playboy prince and stepped over the line plenty. He knew what it was to be in the Royal family and happily took the perks. Financially, he had the 4 million pounds a year from his father, 15 million or so left to him through his mother, 17 million left to him through his great grandmother, so he is hardly skint.  Her wealth was estimated at 4 million, so I don't know where you get that she was ' worth a fortune ' from?

 

The Queen has put her foot down. He was warned not to go off, break Royal protocol and make a speech, he didn't listen. He was told by his brother to get to know her a lot longer as she didn't fully understand the ins and outs as well as responsibilities of British Royalty. He again didn't listen and went full steam ahead into a marriage. It is well known that the two were behaving as very difficult members of the Royal family.

 

They were wanting a halfway in and halfway out, living like Hollywood stars and rejecting the ' parts ' that they didn't find glamorous. Well, that door has been well and truly slammed shut as the British Royal institution does not work that way.

 

Best of luck now to them in the future, there is only the ' security ' aspect to be sorted out now and who is paying for it, and they can beggar off and be celebrities or reality stars on American TV.

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 20206 yr by Scouse123

2 hours ago, steve187 said:

how do you know it will cost millions for their security

where do you get those figure from - double

 

talking about security how much did the Uk spend on Assange, that was a total waste of money

 

I think they as a young family with children are doing the correct thing and getting to a country that has more scope for them, in their shoes i would do the same thing, all young families should think along the same lines, the Uk is not the place it once was.

fine with that no problem ,as long as they pay for themselves ,but they wont ,we will ,wish the govt and taxpayer was paying for my lifestyle here in Thailand 

Well they have been hounded by the British press the daily mail has been particularly bad and also that <deleted> Piers ...just because he didn’t get an invite.

 

They were far more popular than William and whatever her name is. So no doubt those two will be very pleased.

 

I wish them all the luck and do think they will make a success of it.

 

Their security will be a problem so I don’t feel that they should fund all the bill for it.

Edited January 19, 20206 yr by JAS21
Siri cocked it up

Not all Canadians welcome them and the ensuing cost.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/17/prince-harry-meghan-canada-british-columbia

Wonder how they can afford $3.1 million for refurbishing their "cottage".  Pretty sure the Army doesn't pay that well.

2 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

They are still calling themselves HRH on their woke website, even though they are not allowed to.

The arrangement starts in Spring.  Until then it's the normal status quo.

 

2 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

So we, the taxpayers still fund their security, the cost of which will at least double now they are based in Canada. Talk about giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

The RCMP are responsible for security in Canada and it will cost millions.  They are obliged to provide security as he is recognised as an IPP (Internationaly Protected Person).

To be fair, I'm sure he'd forgo the heavy security but he's not allowed to refuse it.

2 hours ago, steve187 said:

how do you know it will cost millions for their security

The RCMP have publicly said as much.

 

Best of luck to them.  Harry was just born into the wrong family.

 

Incidentally, he will still receive 2 and a half million quid from his dad, part of the revenue from the Duchy of Cornwall.

32 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

fine with that no problem ,as long as they pay for themselves ,but they wont ,we will ,wish the govt and taxpayer was paying for my lifestyle here in Thailand 

The Sovereign grant was only 5% of Harry's income which they have relinquished.  Apart from security, Harry takes nothing from the taxpayer.  He's even paying back the cost of refurbishment on his cottage which was initially paid by the taxpayer.

Someone asked how he's able to pay for that.  He does have a few bob in the bank!

The line "...let these Dukedoms that you claim hear no more of you.....'' comes to mind even though it is used originally in a different context.

50 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Nobody hounded his mother to death. She wanted the press when it suited her. She manipulated the press. I liked Diana but she really used her beauty and popularity with the British public to get her own way. Obviously, when she starts messing around with Muslim men, there was more than one by the way, as a senior  member of the Royal family and mother of the future King, she is going to come under the microscope.

 

No, he didn't ask to be in the Royal family but was happy with his lot until he met her.

 

He was very much a playboy prince and stepped over the line plenty. He knew what it was to be in the Royal family and happily took the perks. Financially, he had the 4 million pounds a year from his father, 15 million or so left to him through his mother, 17 million left to him through his great grandmother, so he is hardly skint.  Her wealth was estimated at 4 million, so I don't know where you get that she was ' worth a fortune ' from?

 

The Queen has put her foot down. He was warned not to go off, break Royal protocol and make a speech, he didn't listen. He was told by his brother to get to know her a lot longer as she didn't fully understand the ins and outs as well as responsibilities of British Royalty. He again didn't listen and went full steam ahead into a marriage. It is well known that the two were behaving as very difficult members of the Royal family.

 

They were wanting a halfway in and halfway out, living like Hollywood stars and rejecting the ' parts ' that they didn't find glamorous. Well, that door has been well and truly slammed shut as the British Royal institution does not work that way.

 

Best of luck now to them in the future, there is only the ' security ' aspect to be sorted out now and who is paying for it, and they can beggar off and be celebrities or reality stars on American TV.

 

 

 

 

The paparazzi were chasing that car on motor bikes when it crashed in the tunnel. They even stuck their cameras in the car and took pictures of her as she lay dying.

 

If that's not hounding I dunno what is. What would you call it?

 

And I did not say anyone was worth a fortune, you did.

 

I said "he's able to paddle his own financial canoe. So will she, she's already worth a fortune." As I was referring to the future I was obviously talking about Meghan rather than Diane

 

You said "Her wealth was estimated at 4 million". As you said 'was' I assume you were referring to Diane. Because 'was' is the past tense.

 

Regardless of whether you were talking about Diane or Meghan where I come from 4 million is a fortune so that may possibly be where I got that "she was ' worth a fortune ' from".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 20206 yr by yogi100

One of the greatest things America ever did was to tell these Royals to pee off nearly 250 years ago. It's long past time for the Brits to wake up and do the same. 

Once Brexit is finished, time for Rexit (I should trademark that like Harry's brand, lol).

Excellent news. Markle doesn't get to decide her role in the Royal Family, the Queen does.

 

The decision is that you're out. Hopefully the cost of security is paid by markle herself.  No doubt she'll be on Oprah complaining about racism, sexism etc. before long.

 

Good riddance to her. Harry mugged himself off but up to him. He played himself.

27 minutes ago, HHTel said:

The Sovereign grant was only 5% of Harry's income which they have relinquished.  Apart from security, Harry takes nothing from the taxpayer.  He's even paying back the cost of refurbishment on his cottage which was initially paid by the taxpayer.

Someone asked how he's able to pay for that.  He does have a few bob in the bank!

I love the way you say, "Apart from security", the additional cost will probably be way more than the money that he's lost from the treasury. He's decamped to Canada and we're paying for it.

 

Another poster has pointed out that the RCMP will be responsible for it, well Canada is arguing that they don't even qualify for residency and are even in a dilemma over their visas. Welcome to the real world that the rest of us have to live in. Furthermore, if Markle remains abroad for the majority of the time, she won't even qualify for British citizenship.

Meghan, hello ..... goodbye.

4 hours ago, ivor bigun said:

But we still have to pay millions for their security ,and i bet they still keep their titles ,at least he will when they divorce and comes back ,anyway lets face it ,he is not a real"royal ,anyone can see who his dad really was ,they are like two peas in a pod . and both ginger.

Some thoughts are better in your head than shared publicly, very poor taste that last comment.

47 minutes ago, HHTel said:

The Sovereign grant was only 5% of Harry's income which they have relinquished.  Apart from security, Harry takes nothing from the taxpayer.  He's even paying back the cost of refurbishment on his cottage which was initially paid by the taxpayer.

Someone asked how he's able to pay for that.  He does have a few bob in the bank!

Security for the royal family is estimated at over 100 million per year. Obviously only a fraction of that is Harry and Markle but given their love of travelling around the globe on private jets it will be significant.

 

The taxpayer should not pay for it any more than they should pay for David Beckham. They're out now, so pay for it yourself.

This topic came up on Realtime with Bill Maher yesterday. Glad some finally is speaking the truth about this.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXFEkaLrid8

23 minutes ago, phkauf said:

One of the greatest things America ever did was to tell these Royals to pee off nearly 250 years ago. It's long past time for the Brits to wake up and do the same. 

 

Brits did that also in 1649 yet by 1660 they decided it wasn't working so Charles II came back. That's more than 250 years BTW. 

I think is was Charles who took personal responsibility for the Navy and its financing and hence it became The Royal Navy. 

 

Losts of UK stuff is entwined with the crown. 

 

They can even set fire to their national flag without much fuss.

3 hours ago, evadgib said:

Relinquishing HRH places them on par with Diana, Fergie and Anne's children who are (or returned to being) 'normal people' while remaining peripheral members of the firm. I would like to see Andrew lose it too, given he's effectively been busted!

 

Patenting the brand 'Sussex Royal' will need to be looked at too. A Regiment by that name (The Royal Sussex Regiment) served with distinction in the British Army until 1966 when they morphed into The Queens Regiment (3rd Bn) and latterly into a Regiment Named after Harry's Mother. Many veterans from the R Sussex are still alive and are understandably miffed that their brand has been hi-jacked.

 

I am not sure where this is going but I wish him all the best.

Prince Harry and Meghan have applied to register the trademark "Sussex Royal" in the UK.

 

Their application was published in December 2019.

 

If no-one objects, the trademark could be registered as early as February 2020.

 

Your opportunity awaits you.

4 hours ago, ivor bigun said:

i bet they still keep their titles

From the OP that you didn't read....

"They will also no longer use their “Royal Highness” titles..."

4 minutes ago, puchooay said:

Prince Harry and Meghan have applied to register the trademark "Sussex Royal" in the UK.

 

Their application was published in December 2019.

 

If no-one objects, the trademark could be registered as early as February 2020.

 

Your opportunity awaits you.

 

    Recently someone posted an article on Facebook that detailed twenty instances where Kate received very favorable press coverage and Meghan was slammed in the press for, essentially, doing the same thing.  Some examples:  When Kate got married, her flowers were lovingly described, including one flower variety that, apparently is poisonous.  When Meghan wed, she was slammed for using the same variety of poisonous flower.  So, how dare her to put the lives of children at risk by using this dangerous flower!   Second example:  When Kate was pregnant and cradled her 'baby bump' at times when she was photographed, the act was reported on in glowing terms.  When Meghan did the same thing during her pregnancy, she was ridiculed in the press as making too big a deal about being pregnant.  A third:  Kate apparently ate avocados for her morning sickness--no problem with the press.  When its learned that Meghan eats avocados on toast, the press makes sure to mention that avocados are linked to water shortages and illegal deforestation.  So, how dare she eat avocados!  Kate lauded in the press for skipping Christmas with the Queen; Meghan condemned for doing the same thing.  And, on and on.

     The article was a real eye-opener.  I had read stories that Meghan was not being treated fairly in the press and I had just dismissed them as nonsense but this article set me straight.  It's unfortunate that this is the case. In some instances the bias is subtle but it's there.  Due to her race?  Her nationality?  Whatever the reason, the unfair press coverage is definitely there for all to see.  I can't blame them for wanting a more normal life.  The press killed the golden goose of Diana and it only has itself to blame for the exile of Harry and Meghan.