Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle would no longer be addressed as His and Her Royal Highness following their shocking announcement to step down from their duties as senior members of the royal family, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
In the statement released on Saturday, the couple would no longer receive public funds and would also be required to step back from Royal duties, including military appointment. Harry was stripped of the military titles and patronages he was awarded after serving two tours in Afghanistan with the British Army and rising to the rank of captain.
The couple would also repay the Sovereign Grant expenditure with which they refurbished their official residence. Harry and Meghan recently spent £2.4 million (1,129,224,780) to renovate the Frogmore Cottage which is their official home in the United Kingdom.
Former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter wrote in The Sun on Sunday that “no royal has ever paid back money, it is absolutely unprecedented.”
Queen Elizabeth II in a separate statement said that they have found a “constructive and supportive” solution to the crisis following Harry and Meghan’s decision to quit the royal family. The Queen maintained that “Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family.”
“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life,” the Queen said.
Earlier this month, Harry and Meghan expressed their decision to live an independent life following months of “reflection and internal discussions”. The announcement comes after months of rumours that the couple were distancing themselves from the monarchy amid pressures of royal life and media scrutiny.
Harry and Meghan filed a series of lawsuits against British media outlets in October — a step that predictably outraged the tabloids and renewed debates about the royals’ role in public life.
Harry is expected to join Meghan and their baby son Archie on a resort island near the southwestern Canadian city of Vancouver this coming week.
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