Buckingham Palace announced on Friday (19) the official separation between the British Royal Family and Prince Harry and his wife, actress Meghan Markle. As of now, the two are no longer active members of the monarchy.
The disruption process comes to an end more than a year after Harry and Meghan suddenly announced in January 2020 that they were leaving the royal family to work in North America and gain their own financial independence. They left their royal duties on March 31 of the same year.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not return as active members of the Royal Family,” the statement from Buckingham said. “While everyone is saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess are still very dear members of the family.”
Also according to the palace, the “honorary military appointments and royal patronages” of Harry and Meghan will be distributed among the other members of the royal family.
Patrons are a series of symbolic positions in charities, military associations and public service organizations, representing the formal support of British royalty for certain causes or entities.
When they announced their intention to take a “progressive new role” in their relationship with the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan said they intended to honor their duties with the Queen and her bosses, but now they lost those titles, in a move this was seen as a firm line adopted by Queen Elizabeth II.
“The Queen has written to confirm that when she leaves the job of the Royal Family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties inherent in a life of public service,” the palace said.
Among other symbolic positions, Prince Harry will cease to be captain general of the Royal Marines, an infantry division of the British Royal Navy, and lose his role as boss of the national rugby federation.
Meghan, meanwhile, will be leaving associations with the Royal National Theater, the UK’s leading theater company, and with the Commonwealth University Association, which is made up of more than 500 academic institutions.
Through a spokesperson, the couple said they would remain committed to serving, but without real patronage. “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal,” said the representative.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duties and services in the UK and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they represent, whatever their official role,” added the spokesperson. word.
The couple are expected to break their silence about the actual disruption process – called “Megxit” by UK newspapers – in an interview with US presenter Oprah Winfrey which will air on March 7.
Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, were married in May 2018 in a ceremony at Windsor Castle in London and had a child in 2019 – Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor does not have a royal title.
Before the split with the royal family, two of them were uncomfortable with the intense attention they received mainly from UK tabloids and had even taken six weeks off from their official engagements.
Last year, the couple, who lived in Canada after leaving the UK, moved to Santa Barbara, southern California, about 100 miles from Los Angeles, the actress’ hometown.
In November of last year, Meghan published an article in The New York Times claiming that she had miscarried four months earlier. Last Sunday (14), the couple announced a new pregnancy.
“We can confirm that Archie will be an older brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very happy to be expecting their second child,” a spokesperson told People magazine.