Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to step back as 'senior' royals (AFP Photo/DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS) |
London (AFP) - Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will step back as senior members of the royal family and spend more time in North America, the couple said in a shock announcement on Wednesday.
The
surprise news follows a turbulent year for the monarchy, with signs that the
couple have increasingly struggled with the pressures of royal life and family
rifts.
"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 said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
"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," they added.
"We
now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North
America."
What
constitutes a senior royal is not officially defined, although it is generally
considered to be one who is close to the throne and continually carries out
duties on behalf of the crown.
The Duke
and Duchess of Sussex spent Christmas in Canada after speaking of the pressure
of being in the spotlight following their fairytale wedding at Windsor Castle
in 2018 and son Archie's birth in May.
They had
previously announced they would miss Christmas with Queen Elizabeth and the
rest of the royal family, choosing to spend it instead with the duchess'
mother, Doria Ragland.
Harry, who
is sixth in line to the throne, said in October that he and his brother Prince
William were on "different paths" and admitted tension in their
relationship.
"We
don't see each other as much as we used to because we are so busy but I love
him dearly," he said in an ITV television interview.
Meghan also
admitted that it had been a "struggle" becoming a mother while
living
under an intense media spotlight (AFP Photo/Dominic Lipinski)
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Media war
Meghan also
admitted that it had been a "struggle" becoming a mother while living
under an intense media spotlight.
There are
rumours of a feud with William's wife Kate, and she said her British friends
had warned her not to marry Harry.
"The
British tabloids will destroy your life," she said they told her.
Asked in
the ITV interview if she was "not really OK" and life had "really
been a struggle", she replied simply: "Yes.".
The couple
recently launched legal action against British tabloid The Mail on Sunday for
alleged invasion of privacy over a letter from the duchess to her father. It
came with a stinging statement from Harry about general tabloid coverage.
Harry is
also suing two newspaper groups over alleged voice mail interception, or phone
hacking.
Asked if
Meghan was facing the same media pressures as Diana, Harry replied: "I
have a family to protect.
"I
will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum."
The royals
had hoped to turn over a new page in 2020 following a year of trials and
tribulations that Queen Elizabeth called "quite bumpy" in her
Christmas Day message.
Last year
began with the monarch's husband Prince Philip overturning his Land Rover after
crashing it into an oncoming car.
It ended
with the 98-year-old walking gingerly out of a London hospital after four
nights of treatment for what Buckingham Palace described as a "pre-existing
condition".
Meanwhile,
Prince Andrew -- often referred to as the queen's "favourite son" --
was dogged throughout the year by allegations that he had sex with one of the
victims of US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when she was a teenager.
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