Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle announced that they will step back as senior members of the royal family and work towards becoming financially independent.

“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,” a statement from the two royals said. “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. 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.”

The two said that the decision will enable them to raise their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor with appreciation for the royal tradition and provide the family with the “space to focus on the next chapter”.

Reports claimed that the Buckingham Palace was not consulted on the matter.

In a statement, the Royal family said that it understood the decision taken by the two. “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” it read. “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

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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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