The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer use their HRH titles and will repay millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money spent refurbishing Frogmore Cottage as the price of a ‘Hard Megxit’ deal, it was dramatically announced last night.
Under the terms of the historic deal thrashed out at Sandringham yesterday, the pair, who will be known as Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will cease to be working members of the Royal Family from this spring and will not perform any official duties on behalf of the Queen – effectively leaving ‘The Firm’ completely.
The shock statement was announced by the Queen – but minutes later the couple sparked confusion when they updated their own website and signed off as ‘Their Royal Highnesses’.
The announcement by Kensington Palace marks the conclusion of talks about their future after days of wrangling with senior members of the family and royal aides to thrash out a deal.
But Harry and Meghan, who sources say intend to spend ‘the majority’ of their time in North America, will pay a heavy financial and emotional cost.
As well as returning the £2.4 million spent on a lavish refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, they will pay a commercial rent – estimated at up to £360,000 a year – to retain it as their British home.
Prince Charles will continue to ‘offer private financial support’ and, crucially, the couple will have free rein to negotiate lucrative commercial deals that experts believe could net them hundreds of millions of pounds, although they have pledged ‘to uphold the values of Her Majesty’.
A number of unresolved issues remain, including whether Harry and Meghan will be required to strip the word ‘Royal’ from their SussexRoyal website, and who will pick up the multi-million pound bill for their continuing security requirements.
The Queen, who took control of the crisis that threatened to permanently damage the monarchy, praised Meghan for swiftly becoming a part of the family and thanked the couple for the work they had done, saying she was pleased they had found a constructive way to move forward.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry told they’re ‘not welcome’ in Canada
Canada’s biggest newspaper has warned Meghan Markle and Prince Harry that they are not welcome to live there as a ‘halfway house’.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced last week they plan to quit the royal family and split their time between Britain and North America in a move which has sent shock waves through the monarchy.
And with Harry likely to fly back to be with his wife and son Archie on Vancouver Island before the end of the week, the Globe and Mail has dealt them a sucker punch.
The scathing column, published on Monday, said Canada is not open to anyone “looking to get out of Britain while remaining a royal”.
While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted over Christmas the pair were “always welcome” as they spent the festive period in Vancouver, the newspaper has said the government’s response should be a “simple and succinct: No”.
The Globe and Mail went on to describe the Sussexes’ plans to move as “vague and evolving” and “not something that Canada can allow”.
“Canada welcomes people of all faiths, nationalities and races, but if you’re a senior member of our Royal Family, this country cannot become your home.”
There has been much debate about how the Sussexes’ plan to become financially independent will work, particularly when it comes to personal security.
The editorial was adamant Canada’s issue with the move was not about “the feds having to find a few million extra bucks” to accommodate the couple.
Instead it suggests Canadians are divided on the royal issue itself, but reports the government has offered to pay for Meghan and Harry’s security at a cost of millions a year have angered many citizens.
The Duke and Duchess removed a line from their new website claiming they are “internationally protected people” entitled to personal security wherever they go.
One of the key points of discussion at Monday’s crisis summit at Sandringham was the Sussexes’ annual security bill, which is understood to be paid for by the taxpayer.
Launched last Wednesday, the rebellious Duke and Duchess’ new official website Sussexroyal.com initially included the controversial phrasing about their security entitlement.
But this was deleted in a matter of hours of it going live, reports the Mail Online.
The new website also states that 95 per cent of their annual funding comes from the Duchy of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales’s private estate, estimated at around £1billion.
And with their intention to relinquish the Sovereign Grant, it is understood Prince Charles made it clear he does not have unlimited funds.
Harry and Meghan’s wedding, as well as fitting out Frogmore cottage, all cost millions and it is unclear how far the Prince of Wales is willing to bankroll the pair.
Any future funding is likely to impose firm rules on their commercial ventures, with the couple expected to look to make millions abroad.
73% of Canadians said they don’t want to pay for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
A new poll shows 73 percent of Canadian citizens don’t want their government to pay for any security costs during the royal couple’s stay in Canada.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, announced earlier this month that they are stepping back from their roles as members of the royal family after coverage from British tabloids, much of it criticized as racist, led the couple to seek a life away from the royal spotlight.
With that announcement the couple indicated that they will also be splitting their time between the United Kingdom and North America. Markle, who was an actress on the show “Suits,” has lived in Toronto in the past, as well as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
In the Instagram post where they made the announcement, they added that they will later share the “full details of this exciting next step.”
The poll, released Wednesday, surveyed 1,154 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum, a leading Canadian pollster. They asked if as taxpayers they would be willing to pay for all, part of, or none of the security costs.
Though most respondents said they don’t want to pick up the bill for security costs, 22 percent said they would be willing to pay for all or part of the bill.
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Harry serves wife & child rather than God & country.
The Royal traveling bums at it again. Harry and his mulatto wife looking for free lodging.