Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world yesterday when they announced that they would be stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family!
The bold move was one of the most unprecedented in royal history, especially as details of the story begin to unravel.
While there had been discussions with the Queen about Meghan and Harry’s decision, it has been revealed that a formal decision hadn’t been confirmed prior to their post. The Queen and senior members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and Prince William, were caught off guard by the release of the couple’s statement. “There is a lot of hurt about this,” a royal source shared with PEOPLE.
They also shared that the royal family is feeling highly disappointed and that this situation “was so avoidable.”
The statement Meghan and Harry made read as follows, “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. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
They continued, “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. 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. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
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