Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed last week that they would be stepping away from their duties as senior members of the royal family and splitting their time with their son Archie between Canada and the UK. Instead of receiving money from the Sovereign Grant, the couple will now be financially independent.
Despite reports that the Queen had been blindsided by their announcement, she said in a statement on Monday that she fully supports the couple.
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.
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.
Prince William's reaction to his brother's move was a little more somber, admitting to The Sunday Times that he's "sad" about the couple's decision.
“I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that anymore…I’m sad about that," William reportedly told the paper.
Harry's and Meghan's choice to step back from their royal duties sparked outrage from supporters of the monarchy who put the blame squarely on Markle. Since marrying Prince Harry in May 2018, the American actress has received an overwhelming amount of negative press, including accusations that she's aggressive and controlling. She's also been criticized for breaking royal traditions on several occasions, while others have suggested that Markle had no interest in becoming a member of the royal family at all and that she had selfish goals all along, including re-establishing her own acting career.
Those rumors gained even more traction when we learned that the Duchess of Sussex had landed a voiceover gig for a Disney film. The role is expected to benefit the wildlife conservation charity Elephants Without Borders.
A viral video over the weekend revealed Prince Harry mentioning his wife's voiceover skills to Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Prince Harry appears to tout Meghan Markle's voiceover skills to Disney boss Bob Iger https://t.co/7JNArHFpEJ pic.twitter.com/14OONVfNCB
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 13, 2020