The world was shocked when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced on January 8th that they intended to step back from their royal duties and positions as senior members of the Royal Family.
Harry and Meghan’s announcement was made over Instagram.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” they wrote , adding that they would be “balancing their time between the United Kingdom and North America.”
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“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
They also noted that the decision to split their time between Canada and the UK had to do with their son, Archie, who was born in May of last year.
It would be hard to argue with their reasoning.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity,” they wrote.
“We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course.”
“We continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support,” they finished, signing off the post.
“Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” came the response statement from Buckingham Palace.
“We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” the statement continued .
However, after a meeting on Monday, Her Majesty has made an official statement to the news.
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” she said .
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.”
Getting The Queen’s approval must have been a huge relief for the young couple!
Her Majesty wasn’t done yet, though.
“Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
The Queen then addressed the matter of their financial independence: “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.”
“It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.”
“These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days,” she said.
The move, which has been dubbed Megxit, is causing a lot of controversy and mixed opinions.
Some people believe that Harry and Meghan’s decision is totally justified given the way that the British Press has treated her since their relationship began.
Others believe that they are abandoning their royal duty.
I think that if The Queen has approved of their plans, then it isn’t on any of us to argue with her!
The Queen isn’t the only person weighing in on this decision.
The fast food chain Burger King has chimed in on the news, offering the Duke and Duchess a job at their restaurant.
A longer version of the ad states, “We found out that the Prince and the Duchess decided to give up their roles in the royal family and will work to become financially independent.”
“So, we have a proposition for you: do as thousands of people and take your first steps in the world of work with us,” the ad continued.
“You know that the crown will suit you perfectly.”
“Also, after so many years of living as dukes, it’s time to start eating like kings,” the ad finishes.
No word yet on how the Queen feels about this particular offer.
The Burger King twitter account also got in on it.
They tweeted a link to their application page on their website with the caption “you always have a job in our kingdom.”
Then they got even more direct.
Their next tweet read “@ harry, this royal family offers part-time positions.”
I’m not sure how Buckingham Palace would feel about this indirect shade, but I can’t imagine that they’re lovin’ it.
Other brands also got in on it.
Budweiser Canada suggested that perhaps Harry would prefer to be second-in-line for the King of Beers, which might be a more suitable option given that the Sussexes plan on splitting their time in Canada.
Meghan has already been keeping busy in Canada.
She’s visited and spent time with two different women’s shelters in the province of British Columbia, both of whom raved about her time spent with them.
It looks like Canada is just as happy as the Queen is with their move!
