After days of eagerly waiting for official word on Queen Elizabeth’s decision regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s step away from the Royal Family, we finally have her official announcement.
Via tweet, Her Majesty finally addressed the chaos behind Buckingham Palace’s walls and the ongoing meetings.
It reads:
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family. My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. 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.”
So The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan (via phone) that Meghan and Harry must step down as senior royals. Not only does it voice the Royal Family’s approval, but is potentially foreshadowing the upcoming future.
While the statement seems to cover most questions commoners have at this point, it has left a lot of people speechless. For the first time in forever, this doesn’t read as an official statement from Her Majesty because it’s so casual.
Royal fans also noticed how quickly the Palace released the statement, considering that a hierarchy of advisors and publicists reviews each statement before they release it. The fact that this statement came out quickly proves how urgent this matter is.
I partially believe that the Royal Family rushed the statement to avoid any of their staff from leaking the news ahead of time.
Because let’s be real, people have leaked news a lot lately.
The big thing I noticed about this statement is that for the first time in a long time, it’s not coming from Queen Elizabeth, The Queen of England. Instead, it’s coming from a concerned grandmother. There’s no doubt that over the years we’ve caught a glimpse of Her Majesty acting as a regular Nana. But it’s almost as though she’s showing the protective side of her we haven’t seen since Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, passed.
With that being said, the official statement also has reason to alarm some Royal fans. The use of the names “Harry” and “Meghan” in particular raises some eyebrows, leaving us to wonder if the Palace rushed to get this statement out, or if the Queen has decided to drop their royal titles, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. We’ve never seen Her Majesty use her grandchildren’s names after they’ve obtained titles through marriage.
Does this mean they will just be “Harry” and “Meghan” from now on? And does this also mean that they’ll fully separate from their royal duties in the near future?
Luckily, the Royals have discussed a lot over the weekend and made a decision about the couple’s new living arrangement and transition to 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.”
So yes, the family of three will officially live in both Canada and the UK, which we assumed. But sadly, the Royal Family has not not confirmed everything yet. We can expect more news from the Palace soon.
I predict that Harry and Meghan will still continue to be heavily involve themselves in their charities and responsibilities, but will become more selective with their appearances. Maybe they’ll limit royal tours (if they even still have any), and also limit how many they both attend. Additionally, I think that we’ll see Prince Harry step into the spotlight and handle the bulk of the responsibility. Meanwhile, Meghan will tend to Archie and avoid the negative media attention.
Will the Royal Family still include the couple in family traditions, like The Queen’s infamous Christmas celebrations? I’d say they’ll probably alternate between attending and skipping out. But I am hopeful that once the Palace heals their wounds and takes preventative measures, we’ll gradually see more of the couple. I am also hopeful that the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry also subsides and that this horrible occurrence helps bring them closer together.
We’ll continue to inform you as the Palace releases more news.
Feature Image via Pexels
