On Jan. 8, a statement was released from Buckingham Palace informing the world that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, had announced their decision to step back from their senior roles within the Royal Family.
While this decision does not mean they are completely removing themselves from the monarchy, they will play a significantly smaller part than their original senior roles. ‘Senior roles’ refers to any adult relatives of the monarchy that are high in the line of succession, and their spouses, that perform duties in the Queen’s name and are highly visible representatives of the family.
The sudden announcement immediately had many questioning why the couple would decide to do this. The official reasons stated by the couple themselves were their desire to be able to split time between the United Kingdom and Canada, where they plan to live, and to “work to be financially independent.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex explained in an official statement on their Instagram, @sussexroyal, the reasoning behind their desire to split time between the UK and Canada, writing, “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.”
Despite these statements, speculation has swirled as to other, underlying motives for Harry and Meghan’s decision to begin phasing out of the Royal Family. Inc. released an online article pinpointing dislike of Meghan from the country as being a key factor in the couple’s decision. Meghan, who comes from an African-American background, is believed to have faced much racism since marrying into the family. The article proceeds to list countless examples of this racism, such as a tweet of the couple holding hands with a chimpanzee that joked the chimp was their son. It also seemed that every action performed by the Duchess has been scrutinized by the media and tabloids.
In an official statement released back on Oct. 1, 2019, Prince Harry said, “My deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
This fear caused by the hatred aimed at Meghan could be the key reason Harry and his wife have decided to step back.
There is some evidence to indicate this decision has caused the beginnings of cracks in the Royal Family. According to BBC, the rest of the family was not warned of the announcement before it was made. In regard to the discussions that took place behind closed doors between the couple and the family following the announcement, The Daily Express reported that Prince Charles is desperate for them to rally around the couple and worries their departure will be the beginning of the end for the entirety of the couple’s involvement with the family.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the entire situation currently is the amount that Americans are invested in the going-ons of England’s royalty. It is not uncommon in the slightest to be waiting in the grocery store checkout line and glance over to see one of the members of the Royal Family on the front cover of a tabloid.
According to CNN, the family’s popularity has always been high in the United States. The main reasoning for this is to us, they are like a real-life soap opera. Since it has no direct effect on our lives, we see it as a form of entertainment that blurs the lines of reality and fiction.
One of the things that Americans still look forward to, as well as the rest of the world watching the now, is how the departure will turn out for the couple and the rest of the Royal Family. With their decision to become financially independent, how will they earn money? There is speculation that Markle will return to her lifestyle blog, The Tig, after renewing the trademark for it. Prince Harry currently has an upcoming documentary with Oprah Winfrey on the importance of mental health that could also produce revenue for the couple. One of the possible outcomes for the Royal Family would be an eventual and complete separation of ties for Harry and Meghan from the Royal Family due to the upset resulting from their current decision of a partial split.
However, this seems unlikely following the statement released by Queen Elizabeth II on Jan. 13, which stated after “constructive discussions” the family is “supportive” of the couple’s choice despite a preference for them to stay as full-time members of the Royal Family. For now, only time can tell what will come next for the couple as they move towards their new life. And you can be sure that the American tabloids will be following just as closely along as those based across the pond.
Graphic: Maggie Claytor/ The Johnsonian
