By: Sophie Soloway ‘23
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, announced their plan to seek more independence from the British crown on Wednesday, Jan. 8. This change is immensely controversial, as the couple is making a historic attempt at becoming partially self-exiled royal leaders for the first time in the empire’s history, according to the BBC.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are the second member of the royal family to announce withdrawal from British public life within the past few months. His cousin, Prince Andrew, announced in November that he would be taking a step back from the duties of the royal family.
This change came just months after Jeffrey Epstein’s death. According to the Guardian, Epstein’s death brought about the publications of reports of a relationship between Andrew and Epstein, who passed away in the face of countless allegations of child prostitution and human trafficking.
Many have compared Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to that of King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1936 in order to marry a divorced woman, Wallis Simpson. The recent end of her divorce went against the monarchy’s historic disapproval, which would have barred Edward from marrying
Simpson and maintaining the throne. After the abdication, Edward and his new wife were titled Duke and Duchess, and spent very little time in Great Britain.
However, Prince Harry and Markle’s plan to remain partially aligned with the monarchy ruling makes the change completely new. It remains unclear what role the Duke and Duchess will maintain within Great Britain’s monarchy.
The couple acknowledged the novelty of their decision in their Instagram post announcement, writing,
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year to carve out a progressive new role within this institution ... It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
While the couple announced their intentions to become financially independent from the palace in order to pursue new charitable ventures, many wonder how they will maintain the extravagant lifestyle that royal life has afforded them.
The palace officially responded to the announcement, stating, “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
“There is a lot of attention on this topic as, firstly, it was never expected that the couple [would] step down their roles, but it is understandable as to why this happened,” Shemica Adenwalla ’23, a student from Great Britain, said. “There was some controversy, because obviously Meghan is the first non-English to be in the royal family which sparked problems for some of the English; however, this didn’t affect the others, as she was respected for leaving her country and coming to rule for the U.K. and embracing the culture.”
Many have blamed the Duke and Duchess’ decision on Meghan Markle, who has faced immense criticism from the British tabloids since her marriage to the prince in May 2018. According to the BBC, many view Markle’s negative treatment by the press as racist and unequivocally harsh. Prince Harry has shared these concerns publicly. Harry, whose mother Princess Diana also struggled with harsh paparazzi treatment, has often said that he hopes to avoid such complications with his wife and young son. In fact, he is currently suing two popular British news sources, accusing them of unlawfully tracking his private phone calls for over a decade.
“I personally don’t think Meghan should be receiving this criticism,” Adenwalla said. “However, I can see why it would be aimed at her as so much has happened in the span of a year with the engagement, ruling and the baby.”
The Duke and Duchess have stated that their separation will also create a “geographic balance” for nine-month-old Archie. Many have noted that this may point to the family moving to Canada, which is still part of the Commonwealth and would allow Prince Harry and Markle to retain some of their royal privileges. However, nothing is certain regarding the family’s future plans.