Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made the shock announcement that they were stepping down from royal duties on this day in 2020. Shortly after their decision was made, the couple then travelled to begin a new life with Prince Archie in California.
With the couple settled in the heart of Montecito, the family later welcomed Princess Lilibet in June 2021. On January 8, 2020, Harry and Meghan shared a statement that would change the trajectory of the Firm – despite the fact that Harry, Archie and Lilibet still remain fifth, sixth and seventh in line to the throne.
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Their statement, which was shared to their former joint Instagram account, read: “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.
“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 [Archie] 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.”
Harry and Meghan have since continued their philanthropy work, with a number of projects also taken on by both of them – including their projects via their multi-million-pound Netflix deal.
The couple still reside in California with Archie and Lilibet, now aged six and four.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
