Harry stepping down as a royal family member

[kittykatkitty]

Just read this on their instagram page.
They plan on becoming private citizens

I think they'll go quiet for a while then end up penniless and wrestling in Mexican street fairs for food.

I'm suddenly reminded of Netflix's Marriage Story, were the wife made sure she and her child who had hitherto lived in NY were resident in California, and he was in school there before serving divorce papers.

This is fantastic. Not least because of all the frothing from the hard of thinking “anti-Meghan” tribe.

That’s worth financing them alone

What a lot of nasty bile being spewed about a person nobody has ever met, no wonder they're leaving just read the abuse on this site it is vile!

The media and critics will still find something to criticise them about sadly.

*Did they jump or were they pushed?
*
Both - pushed out by their critics and the media and jumped to save their own sanity as a result.

Good luck to them.

If the rest of them would jump after him that would be great!

It seems like it's just those IN LINE now, so can Charlotte and Louis grow up knowing they wont have to go to memorialscand lay wreaths and do hospital visits and tours of the commonwealth???

Fine by me but I don't want to pay for it. They have said they will move to be financially independent, Hope this includes security also hope, like princess anne they go down the no titles for kids route.

In other news salt-of-the-earth type Zara Tindall has been banned from driving for spending....Meghan gets vilified for opening a car door....

My first reaction is I'm not really sure what this means other than them splitting their time between the UK and North America and being able to earn their own money (whilst they work to financial independence over how long?).

The whole "senior" royal aspect is really neither here nor there given how with each generation they are further from the Crown anyway.

So overall it seems like they get to keep their HRH status, funding from the Crown, security whilst reducing their public work, using their public profile to make money and live a jet set lifestyle....

Win win.....

If they'd announced they were standing down as Royal's, losing their HRH status and funding them I'd genuinely wish them all the very best, but this seems like a very one sided "progressive" development to me...

Great news - bye Meghan!

Working towards being financially independent. Which is hilarious given how much harry has inherited over the years! Is there a food bank in Windsor?

but she is just a fame hungry hypocritical nasty piece of work who will use and spit out Prince Harry when she is not “thriving” yuk ...

You should take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself why happened in your life to turn into such a sour person.

Oh, there it is again. MN's favourite word, "narcissist." Let's gloss over the fact that it's actually a rather rare diagnosis and apply to everyone I don't like; from the MIL to people in the public eye

Educate yourself, please. No one suggested she has NPD. Anyone can be a narcissist - it doesn’t have to be at the diagnosable personality disorder level.

What a lot of nasty bile being spewed about a person nobody has ever met, no wonder they're leaving just read the abuse on this site it is vile!

That's where you're wrong, @PortiaCastis. My auntie's neighbour's second cousin once removed dog knows Meghan personally and told me she was a nasty piece of work!

I think the bit about stepping back from being a 'senior royal' will be a compromise to Charles and William whereby Harry doesn't step out completely until George is older

The Queen is old and Charles is known not to keep the best of health. One bad thing happening to William and Andrew is in line for being George's Regent if Harry isn't around

He's also unlikely to step out of the line of succession as he'll just promote his son up a place

They'll 'support the Queen' by turning up at the big events like Trooping the Colour, but do their own thing otherwise

At his mother's funeral, his uncle spoke of how she wanted her sons to speak with their own voices. So, it happens, with one of them. He is independently wealthy, she has wealth too. They will live well and comfortably with some degree of privacy. The Royal Family wants to contact. A win all round, no?

@DeRigueurMortis
Bingo. A “big announcement” signaling bugger all really. They simply move to a back carriage of the royal gravy train having already acquired more privilege, wealth and fame than either can possibly use up in ten lifetimes.

Educate yourself, please. No one suggested she has NPD. Anyone can be a narcissist - it doesn’t have to be at the diagnosable personality disorder level.

Please do tell me more about your close personal relationship with Meghan, @ChestnutSmoothie. Since you seem to know her so well.

To be clear, they are relinquishing the money they received from the Sovereign Grant - which amounted to 5% of their income. The rest came from Charles & they are not giving that up, of course.

They are holding on to the only thing that makes this pair of planks interesting...their titles. But from now on they can use these to make money. That’s all that’s happening.

Meghan will live off the Duchess of Sussex name for as long as it's useful.
I need to Google the Clinton Foundation because that's what the rumours are they are aiming for.

I just want them to pay for their own security.
Their statement is carefully worded saying they will support the Queen; not the Royal Family.
They are cashing in now whilst they are young and photogenic. They don't want a Prince Andrew situation where they have to mix with dodgy millionaires.
Baby no2's photos will be sold exclusively to People Magazine for "charidee".
If they stumped up $10 million for Brad & Angelina's Shiloh; then at least $20 million for baby Sussex 2.

Brand Beckham is going to look like a church fete tombola compared to Brand Sussex.

Do you know what - I started out as pro - Harry seemed happy and they were getting on and doing stuff. Excellent

Then came the prima donna behaviour - the typical celebrity- the Press is too much etc etc. Hiding - people are picking on me. I think Megan thought she knew fame like many celebrities but being part of The Royal Family - is on a different level of fame and celebrity. With their fame comes a sense of duty - which both of them seem to have forgotten.

I agree with this.

I guess this is why the Royals were historically so careful with who they allowed to marry into the ranks - it's such a unique position to be in and comes with so much scrutiny and criticism.

I think Meghan just had no idea what hit her. If she had ridden it out it would have calmed - like it did for Kate, who I remember getting similar negativity prior to and in the first couple of years of her marriage. She was called lazy, waity, her skirts were too short etc...

It's a shame as I think most people in the UK have always been fond of Prince Harry.

I think the statement is very ambiguous. They're not "stepping down" as so many say above - with all that implies such as no royal duties, no funding of any kind from the taxpayer.

The statement says "carve out a progressive new role "within" this institution". It also says "continuing to fully support Her Majesty". That begs the question, in what way? Selective royal duties?

The statement also says "continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, The Commonwealth and our patronages". So again are they going to choose plum duties to do?

In four years time presumably Archie will need a school to go to. How is this "geographic balance" of presumably living in the UK and US going to help with that?

So they're launching a new charitable entity while also working to become "financially independent". So that implies commercial work to fund themselves while at the same time running a charity, probably like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, so why all the mentions of still doing their duty for the Queen and continuing to collaborate with the Queen, PC and PW? It really sounds like having their cake and eating it.

They should either opt out or opt in. Opt out means giving up Frogmore etc, all the titles, all the financial priviledges if you want to be financially independent. Why on earth should they be HRH if they're not in the royal family? He should be titled from now on "Harry, former Prince of the UK" and his wife Meghan. If she's an ardent feminist why doesn't she go back to her maiden name? They won't be giving up all the nice bits for sure. I think Meghan sees her financial future in the US - hobnobbing with the Gates, the Obamas, Ellen, Oprah then flying back for Wimbledon and the odd state function.

Who will pay for their security here and in Canada?

How will they support themselves financially? Two households?

Will they still receive civil list money?

They've just had Frogmore Cottage renovated at a cost of over £2.4 million - but of a waste, no?

Their carbon footprint will be huge if they're flying back and forth all the time - how will they justify that?

I'm a bit meh about it. Have they really thought it out or are they just being selfish?

Seems like stepping back from senior Royal Duties is the thing to do these days. So let me make an announcement:
I’ve decided to step back from Royal Duties to focus on my career and family life.

Sincerely,
Duke of Cam326

It seems like it's just those IN LINE now, so can Charlotte and Louis grow up knowing they wont have to go to memorialscand lay wreaths and do hospital visits and tours of the commonwealth???

That's likely to depend when George becomes King

Right now there's been 8 (Queen, Philip, Charles, Camilla, Anne, Edward, Sophie & Andrew) 'full time' royals. Then they added William, Kate and Harry to the mix, along with the older cousins (The Gloucester's, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra)

By the time William is King, or George, there will only be William, Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis (assuming they are all adults) with perhaps some years of Anne, Edward and Sophie until George's children are adults. Thats a much more streamlined bunch