Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s announcement that they will be ‘stepping back’ as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family, was met with a fair share of surprise by both, the Royal Family and the general public. 

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“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 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.” – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

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In the wave of their announcement, meetings were conducted with the members of the Royal Family, even as the media made multiple speculations about what could this mean. Ultimately, it was announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will no longer represent the Queen in official terms, nor will they be addressed using the HRH titles. 

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And now, at a private reception for Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale, he addressed the public and talked about the decision to step back as ‘senior’ royals. 

He also talked about how, irrespective of the result, he was committed to the decision. 

Ultimately, he ended the speech by stating that he will continue to work for the causes he holds dear and serve his country. 

You can see the complete speech here. Naturally, Twitterati were quick to comment on Prince Harry’s speech: 

Prince Harry and Meghan will be residing in Canada for the time being.