Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Are Stepping Back From The Royal Family

By Karmen on 09 Jan 2020

Digital Editor

Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just shared a statement on their official Instagram account that they will be transitioning away from their roles.

Keep reading to find out more!

Prince Harry And Meghan Markle are stepping back as senior members of Britain's royal family starting this year. The royal couple plan to balance their 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

This announcement comes after Harry, Meghan and their son were absent from the royal family’s Christmas celebration while spending family time with Meghan’s mother in Canada over the 2019 Christmas holiday.

It seems like this may have been unexpected news for Buckingham Palace too! They issued this statement: "Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through".