Meghan Markle and Harry have definitively withdrawn from the British Royal Family, as announced at Buckingham Palace. But Archie’s parents would not have had the last word.
The page is definitively turned for Meghan Markle and Harry! Buckingham Palace announced in a press release, published this Friday, February 19, their final withdrawal from the British royal family. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not return as active members of the Royal Family”, as stated.
“Following conversations with the Duke, the Queen has confirmed that by giving up the work associated with membership in the Royal Family, it is not possible to continue to exercise the responsibilities and duties inherent in a life of public service.” But Meghan Markle and Harry, eternal rebels, would not take this prohibition literally.
Giving up their royal titles, Meghan Markle and Harry accept it. The grandson of Queen Elizabeth II would indeed lose his military titles, notably in the Royal Marines, and his representative function for the Rugby Federation. The former actress will lose her charitable patronage. She will have to resign as patroness of the National Theatre, where she was appointed in 2019 by the Queen.
But Archie’s parents – who are expecting a second child – do not intend to retire from public life for all that. A spokesman for Sussex announced this, as reported by our colleagues in People the same day. Meghan Markle and Harry “remain committed to their duty and service in the UK and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented, whatever their official role”. The statement added: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal”. Will the monarch turn a blind eye to this final thumbscrew?
Queen Elizabeth II saddened
If the final withdrawal of Meghan Markle and Harry was expected, it still feels like a bomb. “While all are saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain beloved members of the Royal Family,” Buckingham Palace assured in the same statement. Elizabeth II, however, has always remained adamant about them. According to the monarch, members of the royal family cannot “be half in, half out,” as a source told People magazine on Thursday, February 18. “It was clear to her from the outset that a hybrid role is not an option,” she said.