The wait is over! It appears Queen Elizabeth II has come to a decision about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s desire to step down as senior members of the Royal family.
On Saturday, Her Majesty shared an official statement which answers a lot of our questions about what’s next for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of the major changes coming down the pipeline for the people.
Related: Meg & Harry Draw Inspo From The Obamas & Clintons For Their Next Phase!
The highly-anticipated update comes days after the Queen met with Harry, Prince William, and Prince Charles for about five hours behind closed doors earlier this week on Monday to hammer out the logistics.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right into the bulletin uploaded to the Sussex Royal Instagram account, which begins:
“Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am 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.”
The statement continued with praise for what Archie Harrison‘s parents have achieved and overcome together so far:
“I recognise 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. I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family.”
The Royal decree concluded with best wishes for the Sussexes:
“It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.”
As seen here:
While that all sounds nice, we still don’t know what changes to expect and when to expect them!
Luckily, a separate, newly released statement from the Buckingham Palace official website provided more context for us (below):
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are grateful to Her Majesty and the Royal Family for their ongoing support as they embark on the next chapter of their lives. As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments.”
So, what about all that British taxpayer money allocated for Meg and Harry?
“They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties. With The Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty.”
OK, but will they still be referred to with their Royal titles? The statement concluded as the Queen noted:
“The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their wish to repay Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home. Buckingham Palace does not comment on the details of security arrangements. There are well established independent processes to determine the need for publicly-funded security.”
These new changes will reportedly take effect in Spring 2020, which means just a few short months from now!
So, no more Royal titles, official military appointments (sorry, Harry!), public funding, and the couple has agreed to pay back all that money spent on their Frogmore Cottage — which they’ll continue to use indefinitely at the discretion of Her Majesty.
Reactions to all of this, Perezcious readers? We’re expecting one from Will and Kate Middleton any day now, but in the meantime, we want to hear from you! Sound OFF in the comments below…
[Image via WENN/Avalon]
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