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Every single question we have after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's announcement, answered.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s announcement that they are stepping back from being “senior” members of the Royal Family has left the world spinning, particularly as it seems the rest of the family weren’t told about their decision to be financially independent.

Huh? What? Where? Why? We know, it’s a lot. You can read about all of that here.

Social media is ablaze, with most commentators not exactly surprised by the revelation.

Here’s every single question we’ve got about this bold move, answered.

Has this ever happened before?

Kind of.

The Queen’s uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated from the throne in 1936 so he could marry twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson. However, they both still had titles, becoming the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. They also held royal roles before they retired, however Wallis was never given the address ‘Your Royal Highness.’

That’s the closest we have ever come to a move like this.

Will Meghan and Harry have to give up their titles, the ‘Duke and Duchess of Sussex’?

No they won’t.

As royal expert Marlene Koenig explained to Mamamia’s news podcast The Quicky, “the title was bestowed to Harry by the Queen, on his wedding day. It’s his title for the rest of his life and for his male heirs. He could get the Queen to remove it, but that’s very unlikely.”

You can listen to that podcast in full below. Post continues after podcast.

Why do they want to be financially independent?

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex take great pride in their work and are committed to continuing their charitable endeavours as well as establishing new ones,” a statement on their official website reads.

“In addition, they value the ability to earn a professional income, which in the current structure they are prohibited from doing. For this reason, they have made the choice to become members of the Royal Family with financial independence.

“Their Royal Highnesses feel this new approach will enable them to continue to carry out their duties for Her Majesty The Queen, while having the future financial autonomy to work externally.”

How will Meghan and Harry earn money now?

Prior to this announcement, Harry was being given AUD $9.54 million annually from The Queen, which was taken from the $156 million publicly-funded Sovereign Grant, as well as $6 million in “non-official expenditure” and $1.9 million in staffing costs.

It represents five per cent of their operating costs, and the couple will no longer get this funding under their new arrangements.

The other 95 per cent of their living comes from The Duchy of Cornwall, aka Harry's father, Prince Charles. It is understood they will still have access to this funding.

In terms of what money the couple have themselves, Prince Harry has his half of the inheritance from his mother Princess Diana's passing.

"He maybe has 20, 30 million pounds (which is AUD $60 million), and perhaps other investments as well," Marlene Koenig told The Quicky.

Meghan, of course, was previously a very successful actress and was wealthy in her own right.

She earned $76,000 per episode for Suits, was in several big-buck movies, and also earned $114,000 annually from her lifestyle website The Tig.

News.com.au suggests she is worth an estimated $7.6 million.

In other words, they're going to be just fine.

Where will Meghan and Harry live now?

The family plan to split their time between America and England, so they will, of course, still need somewhere to stay.

Their website states that they have no plans to give up their residence at Frogmore Cottage.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to use Frogmore Cottage - with the permission of Her Majesty The Queen - as their official residence as they continue to support the Monarchy, and so that their family will always have a place to call home in the United Kingdom," their website reads.

What does this change mean for Archie?

In their statement, Harry and Meghan hope that the geographical balance between England and America will enable them to raise their 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."

They've made no secret of the fact they want to provide their son with a "normal life." Prince Harry knows all too well how hard growing up in the spotlight is, and has made no secret of his resentment of that fact.

While in the UK, Frogmore provides them with a secure place to shelter their son from prying eyes, as royal expert Katie Nicholl explained to Entertainment Tonight.

"My understanding is that at Frogmore, they have essentially built a fortress. One of their closest friends told me it was their oasis - their sanctuary where they're going to raise their child away from the spotlight," she explained.

"Archie is being raised in a very loving, relatively ordinary upbringing as far as royal childhoods are concerned," she continued.

"It was a very deliberate decision not to give Archie the HRH title. He is of course technically a prince, but they chose not to make him His Royal Highness and that is quite simply because they want him to be raised as a private citizen."

Does this change mean the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be able to escape the press?

That certainly appears to be part of the plan.

Their website notes some "changes" to their media policies as of the new year, stating, "in the spring of 2020, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be adopting a revised media approach to ensure diverse and open access to their work.

"This updated approach aims to engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists; invite specialist media to specific events/engagements to give greater access to their cause-driven activities, widening the spectrum of news coverage; provide access to credible media outlets focused on objective news reporting to cover key moments and events."

Meghan and Harry will also "continue to share information directly to the wider public via their official communications channels" and will "no longer participate in the Royal Rota system."

To explain, the "Royal Rata system" is a way of giving UK print and broadcast media exclusive access to official engagements of the Royal Family. From there, the world's media report on what they've been given access to. Those in the system include British publications like the Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Evening Standard and The Sun.

But according to Harry and Meghan's website, this system predates the "dramatic transformation of news reporting in the digital age".

It appears their hope is, that by being able to talk to and engage in the media as and when they want to, they can help to drive the narrative around them a bit better.

How does the Queen feel about all of this?

Well, apparently she didn't know.

The BBC reports that Meghan and Harry announced their decision without talking to anyone from the Royal Family, the Queen included.

A statement from the Royal Family appears to back this up, reading, “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.”

Feature image: Getty. 

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Top Comments

ImOpining 4 years ago

A narcissist and her fool.


Michelle 4 years ago

Quoting from their website is not analysis!
They want to be able to use their Royal status to make commercial contracts with companies. It is this commercialism of the Royal name and ties that will lead to their "financial independence." Just one small problem: royalty is about the monarch and only the monarch. HRH Royal family members cannot make commercial agreements and they certainly cannot set up alternative royal courts in North America! If Meghan and Harry want to become financially independent, they must relinquish their HRH and all public monies, of which the Duchy of Cornwall IS (as well as the Sovereign Grant.) Sarah, Duchess of York, did it albeit unsuccessfully (notice I didn't put HRH as she is not HRH but is still a Duchess and part of the aristocracy.) Harry and Meghan can retain their Duke and Duchess title (much to the chargrin of the good people of Sussex) but they must relinquish HRH or the monarchy will end in due course.