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

Monday, 20 January 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, holding their son Archie, meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu (not pictured) at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa - Reuters

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 here issued by the palace, referring to the couple’s baby son.

“I recognise 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.

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.