Royal Breaking News: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced their decision to step back from royal duties. In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Harry and Meghan, who have just returned from their six-week break in Canada, revealed they plan to become financially independent and will split their time between the UK and North America.
The couple wrote: 'After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.'
Shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan announced the news via Instagram, Her Majesty published a statement, which read: 'Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.'
The Sussexes stated that they plan to become financially independent and will split their time between the UK and North America.
Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly travelled to the UK without their son Baby Archie, People magazine reports. The royal couple made their first appearance of the New Year on Tuesday at Canada House and eight-month-old Archie was nowhere to be seen. People continued that Prince Harry and Meghan are expected to return to Canada as soon as possible to be reunited with their young son.
Prince William shared his grief regarding Prince Harry’s decision to step back from Royal duties with a close friend. The Times reported that Prince William told his friend: 'I've put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can't do that anymore; we're separate entities. I'm sad about that. All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we're all singing from the same page. I want everyone to play on the team.'
After the royal family's summit in Sandringham to discuss the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's future, Queen Elizabeth II released a statement about the future of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Lending support to her grandson and his wife's decision to lead an independent life, she said...'we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.' She also acknowledged that the couple do not want to be reliant on public funds to live their lives. The Queen went on to state that this was a complex matter and more work needed to be done on it, before final decisions were made.