[ad_1]
LONDON – Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have finalized their break with the British royal family.
Just over a year after the couple first announced they would be ‘stepping down’ from royal duties, and days after revealing they were expecting their second child, Buckingham Palace said on Friday that they would not return as active members of the royal family.
“Although everyone is saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family,” he said in a statement.
Download the NBC News app for the latest news and politics
Following a conversation with Harry, Queen Elizabeth II “wrote to confirm that by moving away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service “, says the press release.
“Honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty,” the statement said, adding that they would be redistributed among active members of the royal family.
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said they remain “committed to their duty and service in the UK and globally, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of their role official”.
“We can all live a life of service,” added the spokesperson. “The service is universal.”
The couple stunned the British public when they announced their intention to break up for the first time with the Royal Family in January 2020, saying they planned to split their time between the UK and North America.
It was then agreed that the situation would be reviewed after one year.
The couple have since signed multi-million dollar deals with Spotify and Netflix.
Since their wedding in May 2018, the couple have repeatedly clashed with the British tabloid press and Harry had previously criticized his wife’s coverage which many considered racist.
Earlier this month, Meghan won a lawsuit against a UK media company that published parts of a letter she wrote to her former father, Thomas Markle.
She told the High Court in London that the media intrusion had caused her “very real sadness” and damaged her relationships.
It also emerged in legal documents that she felt ‘unprotected by the institution’ of the royal family as she was in the press spotlight during her pregnancy with her son, Archie, who was born in May 2019.
Meghan revealed she miscarried in July and wrote about the loss in a New York Times opinion piece in November.
The couple will also be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on a 90-minute prime-time special on CBS on March 7. The move will undoubtedly have ruffled the feathers of a family that prefers not to speak publicly about their personal affairs.
This is news in development. Please come back for updates.
[ad_2]
Source link