Latest News

  • Home
  • Global
  • Prince Harry, Meghan to quit royal jobs, give up 'highness' titles
Prince Harry, Meghan to quit royal jobs, give up 'highness' titles
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 IST
Prince Harry, Meghan to quit royal jobs, give up

LONDON: Goodbye, your royal highnesses. Hello, life as - almost - ordinary civilians.
 

 
 

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are quitting as working royals and will no longer use the titles "royal highness" or receive public funds for their work under a deal announced Saturday by Buckingham Palace.
 
Releasing details of the dramatic split, triggered by the couple's unhappiness with life under media scrutiny in the royal fishbowl, the palace said Harry and Meghan will cease to be working members of the royal family when the new arrangements take effect within months, in the "spring of 2020."
 
The couple will no longer use the prestigious titles His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness, but they are not being stripped of them.
 
They will be known as Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Harry will remain a prince and sixth in line to the British throne.
 
The agreement also calls for Meghan and Harry to repay 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) in taxpayers' money that was spent renovating a house for them near Windsor Castle, Frogmore Cottage. The use of public funds to ready their home had raised ire in the British press.
 
The announcement came after days of talks among royal courtiers sparked by Meghan and Harry's announcement last week that they wanted to step down as senior royals and live part-time somewhere in Canada.
 
The couple's departure is a wrench for the royal family, but Queen Elizabeth II had warm words for them in a statement Saturday.
 
The 93-year-old queen said she was pleased that ``together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.''
 
"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," Elizabeth said.
 
"It is my whole family's hope that today's agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life," she added.
 
Despite the queen's kind words, the new arrangement will represent an almost complete break from life as working royals, especially for Harry. As a devoted Army veteran and servant to the crown, the prince carried out dozens of royal engagements.
 
It is not yet clear whether Harry and Meghan will continue to receive financial support from Harry's father, Prince Charles, who used revenue from the Duchy of Cornwall to help fund his activities and those of his wife and sons.
 
The duchy, chartered in 1337, produced more than 20 million pounds ($26 million) in revenue last year. It is widely regarded as private money, not public funds, so Charles may opt to keep details of its disbursal private.
 
While he and Meghan will no longer represent the queen, the palace said they would "continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty" while carrying out their private charitable work.
 
The withdrawal of Harry from royal engagements will increase the demands on his brother, Prince William, and William's wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
 
Buckingham Palace did not disclose who will pay for the couple's security going forward. It currently is taxpayer-funded and carried out primarily by a special unit of the Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard.

 
 

"There are well established independent processes to determine the need for publicly funded security," it said.
 
Harry and Meghan have grown increasingly uncomfortable with constant media scrutiny since the birth in May of their son, Archie. They married in 2018 in a ceremony that drew a worldwide TV audience.
 
Meghan joined the royal family after a successful acting career and spoke enthusiastically about the chance to travel throughout Britain and learn about her new home, but disillusionment set in fairly quickly.
 
She launched legal action against a newspaper in October for publishing a letter she wrote to her father. Harry has complained bitterly of racist undertones some media coverage of his wife, who is biracial.
 
There has also been a breach in the longtime close relationship between Harry and William, a future king, over issues that have not been made public.
 
The couple's desire to separate from the rest of the family had been the subject of media speculation for months. But they angered senior royals by revealing their plans on Instagram and a new website without advance clearance from the queen or palace officials.
 
Elizabeth summoned Harry, William, and Charles, to an unusual crisis meeting at her rural retreat in eastern England in an effort to find common ground.
 
The result was Saturday's agreement, which is different from Harry and Meghan's initial proposal that they planned to combine a new, financially independent life with a reduced set of royal duties.
 
It is not known where in Canada the couple plan to locate. They are thought to be considering Vancouver Island, where they spent a long Christmas break, or Toronto, where Meghan filmed the TV series "Suits'' for many years.

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
'Worse than prison': A rare look inside China's detention camps to 'brainwash' Muslims

ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...

Recently posted . 199K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
What The Shape Of Your Belly Button Says About Your Health

If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...

Recently posted . 8K views . 2 min read
 

 Article
Top 10 Horrifying Acts of Chemical Warfare and Gas Attacks

In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...

Recently posted . 3K views . 4 min read
 

 Article
Top 10 Best Gym Equipment Brands in India 2018

Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...

Recently posted . 3K views . 2 min read
 

 
 

More in Global

 Article
Over 1 Lakh Tourists Stranded as UK Travel Giant Thomas Cook Collapses, 22,000 Jobs Cut

The government said it had hired planes to fly home an estimated 150,000 holidaymakers to the UK, in an operation starting on Monday.   ...

Recently posted. 511 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
This CEO Gives His Employees $2,000 To Go On Vacation And Says It Makes Them More Productive

The American workforce is such that, one can easily go on vacations and spend time with their family. This culture sometimes may also guarantee a solid work ethic...

Recently posted. 664 views . 2 min read
 

 Article
Hong Kong protesters throw Chinese flag into iconic harbour, call for mass strike on Monday

Meanwhile, thousands of people, mostly in white, gathered for a separate rally in Victoria Park in support of the police on Saturday. The crowd shouted slogans and ...

Recently posted. 579 views . 1 min read
 

 Video
How You Can Confuse Your Math Teacher



Recently posted . 952 views
 

 Article
Waking Up Between 3 to 5 a.m. Could Actually Mean You’re Experiencing Spiritual Awakening

Waking up at the same time every night could indicate that there is something you need to pay attention to.  Of course, this refers to waking up without an ala...

Recently posted. 1K views . 2 min read
 

 Article
Robot Planter Follows The Sunlight And Throws Tantrum If It Is Not Watered

The technology company Vincross has developed a robot planter that is designed to seek out the sunlight to keep plants alive. The device is called the “HEXA P...

Recently posted. 1K views . 1 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

Don’t fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail…!
Anonymous

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top