It was January 2020 when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had revealed their intention to step back from senior status in the British Royal Family and now Queen Elizabeth II has confirmed that they will not return as “working members“.
After some negotiations, the step back had become a reality at the end of March 2020 and there was talk of a one-year trial period.
A little less than 365 days later, the update arrived: the sovereign let Buckingham palace spokesmen know that she had heard from her nephew and Duke of Sussex and that he and the Duchess of Sussex would not return to being ” working members” of the Royal Family.
This means that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will no longer have the role of patrons of different associations– military, Commonwealth, sports, and others.
“After a conversation with the Duke, the Queen wrote confirming that by taking a step back from the work of the Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and having come from a life of public service ” reads the Buckingham palace note.
“Honorary military appointments and royal patronage held by the Duke and Duchess will then be extended to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of the Royal Family”
These include Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving, The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, The Rugby Football Union, The Rugby Football League, The Royal National Theatre, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
All these associations meanwhile are greeting and thanking Harry and Meghan for their work to support them.
Prince Harry will be stepping down from his role as RFU Patron.
We would like to thank Prince Harry for his time and commitment to the RFU both in his position as Patron and Vice Patron. The RFU has greatly valued his contribution to promoting and supporting the game. pic.twitter.com/9Gp3oyuYnD
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 19, 2021
In the last year since the Royal Family stepped back, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their eldest son Archie, have moved to the US, launched their Archewell foundation, and signed deals with Spotify and Netflix to produce content.
Last week they announced they were expecting their second child.
