The Duke and Duchess of Sussex say they want to become financially independent and “step back as 'senior' members of the royal family”.
In a statement published to the Sussex Royal Instagram account - following speculation that the couple would move to Canada - they announced they would split their time between the UK and North America.
However in a public statement, the palace said discussions on the issue remained “at an early stage”.
A spokesperson added: “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.’’
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The current structure makes it challenging for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to personally share moments in their lives directly with members of the public (via social media for example), without first going through the filter of the Royal Rota."
The couple also touched on the reliability of royal correspondents, explaining: "Britain’s Royal Correspondents are regarded internationally as credible sources of both the work of members of The Royal Family as well as of their private lives. This misconception propels coverage that is often carried by other outlets around the world, amplifying frequent misreporting. Regrettably, stories that may have been filed accurately by Royal Correspondents are, also, often edited or rewritten by media editorial teams to present false impressions."
Royal commentator Sally Baker told The Independent: “They’ve been away for six weeks in Canada working out what they want to do with their lives and they’ve made an announcement. It’s clear they didn’t consult anyone about it.
“Now the palace is trying to take away from their announcement. It looks like the royal family is in trouble.”
“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. 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," the couple said on their official Instagram account. “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
"We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said today that they would be stepping back as “senior” members of the royal family in an unprecedented announcement.
