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've underestimated The Firm, there'll be a closing of ranks

I agree they'd airbrush Meghan out if the couple split, but am not so sure about blood-royal Harry. When someone knows quite as much as he will about the family, and when they've already shown themselves capable of behaving like a loose cannon, it's often wise to keep them onside

I wonder, though, what information Meghan may have gleaned which might end up for sale ...

Except when it comes to the titles and money. If I were the Queen (and had the power), I'd strip him of his titles. He's really shown himself to be quite the brat. At least Edward VIII had the balls to fully quit it all. And wow, he lived financially independent!

I'd strip them of their titles too. They don't want to continue with their royal duties. They want to "work toward" becoming financially independent. Fine. Of they trot. No royal titles and no money either.
The "work toward" thing really annoys me too. I used to work with a couple of people who were pretty poor at their jobs. They always used the "working toward" phrase.... I'm working towards improving X, Y and Z. They never improved and there was little "working towards" going on either.

They could be financially independent tomorrow if they wanted. Never mind fucking working towards it.
They've got enough savings to set themselves up with their own place somewhere and they can easily find work to fund the lifestyle they want.
It's not like some abused woman who is trying desperately to scrape a bit of money together to pay a deposit on a rental flat to get out of a hellish marriage.
I find the two of them thoroughly obnoxious.

The Standard has a lot on the timeline of this, the meeting that we’re supposed to happen.

Interesting reading.

Just wanted to point out that Edward VIII was not financially independent - he received 10,000 pa from the government and about 11,000pa from the King. Also had a million saved and was bought out of Balmoral and Sandringham (about £300,000 - worth about 10 million in today's money).

The French government offered them a house in Paris.

Wallis was independently wealthy.

Except they don't say 'working towards' they say 'working to' which is quite different.

@CathyorClaire

I’m “working to become” a size 8 and a millionaire.

Actually, have they changed the wording? I’m sure it did say ‘working towards’

Either way - semantics.

They should get rid of ‘working’ altogether and put ‘we will be financially independent.’

Oh and talk about over shadowing Kate's birthday!

To be fair, they did announce their pregnancy at Eugenie’s wedding so they have form!

@Stronger2020 that makes 2 of us! Looks like Megan"s a few steps ahead of us

They also released titbits of their African tour interview during W and K's tour of Pakistan giving them more headlines. Strange behaviour for a couple who apparently don't like the media attention.

What annoys me more than anything else is that I have found myself agreeing with every word the hideous Piers Morgan has said on the subject!

I think they've probably been planning this since they stepped down from the joint foundation with W&K. That's when they trademarked their name for everything from magazines to socks.

I hope the Queen takes their titles back. But the fact they announced this with no agreement and no oversight hints of coercive control or blackmail. It's very much 'we're doing this - now you be the bad guys that stop us' . Assuming Prince Charles will continue to bankroll them without even asking him, is outrageous.

Releasing such an important statement without RF oversight also hints that they'll release stories and statements that are damaging to the RF without a second thought. It's all so disrespectful to the RF (and I don't mean as an institution - I just mean as Harry's family).

I feel sorry for Harry's PR who managed to turn all the party prince stories around and replace them with the 'dedicated soldier who launched Invictus narrative' .Total waste of time. All that goodwill just thrown away.

I've been working towards getting thinner and richer too , but it's not worked!
I hope they have more luck than me. I'm sure they will!

Actually, have they changed the wording? I’m sure it did say ‘working towards’
Either way - semantics.

I was pretty sure they said "working towards". Maybe they have changed the wording.
Either way..
"work to become financially independent" is almost the same thing.
Why not "work to be financially independent" "work so that we are financially independent" if they mean this in the sense of working, ie. holding down a job and earning the money the family needs (like the rest of us fuckers).

I understand this in the sense of them starting to earn income from other jobs and at some stage in the future they'll not be taking any money from the UK tax payer any more.
But, they could actually afford to quit right now and say. "As of tomorrow we will be financially independent and will not be accepting any more money from the Queen/Prince of Wales/whoever currently pays them this money.

How did Edward and Sophie manage it? They've disappeared so well that I'm not sure I've remembered the right names!

It's fair enough. The RF is clearly toxic in many ways. Imagine this is preferable to spending the next forty odd years having to make small talk with Prince Andrew. I suspect there is a lot we still don't know that Harry and Meghan do - and not just about him.

If the Queen takes the titles back what will happen to the Sussex trademarks, should there be any?

It's now being reported that they didn't only not tell the Queen, but actually defied her request not to put out any statement until everything had been talked through and agreed within the family. So they've just decided how things are going to work and put her in the position of having to go against or contradict them publicly if she's not happy about it. Really manipulative.

How did Edward and Sophie manage it?

Manage what? I’m pretty sure they’re bona fide “working royals” these days. They just live quietly when they’re not doing stuff for the Queen.

Edward and Sophie stopped working outside the RF after the fake sheik episode, before that Sophie had her own PR agency in partnership with someone. They are on the civil list I think.

Harry has really not come across well with the way he's gone about this and it is hard to see why he didn't wait until all the details had been ironed out first.

I wonder if there’s some more PA dirt about to emerge and they urgently wanted out.

Working towards being financially independent !!!??? WTF constitutes financial independence for them? As I sit here wondering if we can afford for my daughter to go on her residential school trip - that is literally the only bit of this whole situation that bothers me.
Oh - also the flying back and forth between continents bit. Surely not very 'woke'. But all this has been said already. They need a much, much, much better PR firm.

That's the spotlight off Andrew for a while! Edward VIII was also Governor of the Bahamas (but that was to keep him out of the way of the Nazis who he liked). As for living independently? Wiki tells us
The Duke's allowance was supplemented by government favours and illegal currency trading.[11][119][120] The City of Paris provided the Duke with a house at 4 route du Champ d'Entraînement, on the Neuilly-sur-Seine side of the Bois de Boulogne, for a nominal rent.[121] The French government exempted him from paying income tax,[119][122] and the couple were able to buy goods duty-free through the British embassy and the military commissary.[122] In 1952 they bought and renovated a weekend country retreat, Le Moulin de la Tuilerie at Gif-sur-Yvette, the only property the couple ever owned themselves.[123].

Do you think if they were to ever separate that Harry would want his title back?

Awful posts on here reflect why they are right to go. It doesn't show England in a very good light but also reflects the truth of a country that is bitter towards successful women especially of colour. They are better off taking a global role where they can focus on good instead of having to be at the mercy of those who just want to bully Meghan. Kate could have done a lot to support this new mum in a foreign country. This has been incredibly damaging to a royal family who needed to show a modern side but instead had alienated a sea of support for Kate and William who have seen how they alienate a new family member not deemed to be "one of us". Canada's gain is our loss. Well done xenophobes and The Daily Mail . Meghan was an easy target for those trying to hide their racism .