LONDON (AP) – Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will not return to royal duties and that Harry will relinquish his honorary military titles, a decision that makes the couple’s formal and final separation of the royal family.
When Harry and Meghan left full-time royal life in March 2020, dissatisfied with media scrutiny and restrictions on their roles, it was agreed that the situation would be reviewed in a year’s time.
Now yes, and the palace said in a statement that the couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have verified that “they will not return as working members of the royal family.”
Queen Elizabeth II was said to have spoken to Harry, 36, and confirmed “that by moving away from the work of the royal family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that public service life entails. “.
The palace said Harry’s appointment as captain general of the Royal Marines and titles with other military groups would return to the queen before being distributed to other family members.
Harry served in the British Army for a decade, even on the Afghan front line and maintains close ties with the military. He founded the Invictus Games competition for wounded troops, which was first held in 2014 at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
He will also have to step down as trustees of the Rugby Football Union, the Rugby Football League and the London Marathon Charitable Trust.
Meghan, 39, will be stripped of her role as patron of the British National Theater and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
“While everyone is saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain beloved family members,” the palace statement said.
American actress Meghan Markle, former star of the legal television drama “Suits,” married Queen Harry’s grandson at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Her son, Archie, was born a year later. .
In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced that they were leaving the royal functions and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media towards the Duchess, who is identified as biracial. .
The couple agreed to stop using the title “royal highness” or receive public funding for their work, although at the time it was unclear whether these decisions would be upheld.
They retain their titles of Duke and Duchess, and Harry remains sixth in line on the British throne. Harry and Meghan now live in Santa Barbara, California, and are expecting their second child. The couple recently announced that they will be talking to Oprah Winfrey for a TV special that will air next month.
They continue to have a strained relationship with sections of the British media. Earlier this month, Meghan won a legal victory in a lawsuit against the editor of the Mail on Sunday, when a British judge ruled that the newspaper invaded her privacy by publishing part of a letter she wrote to her father. .
The news of his break-up with the palace comes when Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, 99, is in a London hospital, where he was admitted on Tuesday after feeling unwell.
A spokesman for the couple responded to suggestions that Meghan and Harry were not on duty.
“As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service in the UK and around the world and have offered their continued support to organizations they have represented regardless of role. official “. the spokesman said in a statement.
“We can all live a life of service. The service is universal. “