On January 8, 2019, the royal family was changed forever.
Prince Harry and his wife — Meghan Markle — announced their decision to quit the royal family. The news came as a shock to many, though others were less than surprised. The royal family will never be the same, and the general public has been left wondering what the next step might be. “Megxit”, as it has come to be known, all started with a single Instagram post…
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Do It For The ‘Gram
On Wednesday evening, a photo posted by the Duke and Duchess’ joint Instagram account read:
“After many months of reflection an 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 indepedent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen…”
Immediately after the post went live, “Megxit” was upon us.
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The Rules of Engagement
After getting past the original shock, it’s important to consider what exactly this decision means. Harry and Meghan are planning to “step back” from their roles as senior members of the royal family. During this time, the couple are becoming financially independent and intend to split half of their time between the United Kingdom and North America. The decision has been a polarizing topic of debate, and has left many wondering why exactly it came to this.
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Were They Kicked Out?
Harry and Meghan’s seemingly abrupt departure has left many questioning the timeline of events. Though the couple insists this was their idea, several pundits have inferred this may have been the royal family’s collective doing. There are murmurs that Harry and Meghan were quietly “removed” from the royal family due to various reasons, and the Instagram post was curated to make it seem as if it was a mutual decision.
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Couple Rebellion?
Though the conspiracy theories are interesting to ponder upon, in all likelihood, this was a decision made on the Duke and Duchess’ own accord. They had clearly grown tired of the lavish lifestyle, and preferred to separate from the royal family in an effort to pave their own way. Whether it was Harry or Meghan’s idea, there’s no denying the impact this move will have on the royal family as well as the country as a whole.
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The Duchess v. The Press
It’s not difficult to see why the couple grew tired of their lifestyle. British media has been especially unfair to the Duchess throughout the couple’s marriage. In fact, the manner in which Megan and the Duchess of Cambridge — Kate Middleton — are covered by the tabloids and magazines are completely different – as evidenced by the image featured above.
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Royal Double Standard
It’s a tried-and-true formula – Meghan and Kate do virtually the same thing, Meghan gets bashed and Kate gets praise. No matter what she does, Meghan can do nothing right in the lens of multiple news outlets and media pundits. It’s almost as if the media is biased towards Megan for some undisclosed reason, and we might have a hunch as to why that is…
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Discomforting Undertones
From the moment Prince Harry began dating Meghan — who has an African-American mother and a white father — their relationship came under fire. The royal family is almost exclusively white, thus making the couple stand out. U.K. lawmaker Clive Lewis — who is also bi-racial — said recently that the royal family still struggles with “structural racism”. Meghan was pegged as on outsider early on, and it could have led to her family’s eventual ousting from the UK.
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An Apathetic Prince
Prince Harry’s apathy towards his role in the royal family also may have contributed to this ultimate decision. Among his siblings, Harry seemed to take his role the least seriously and has expressed interests in other fields over the years. There stands a chance Harry grew tired of diplomatic matters and preferred to pursue a more “common” life.
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Blindsided Queen
As far as Harry and Meghan’s relatives go, the Queen herself claims to be entirely blindsided – as alluded to before. According to sources close to the situation, nobody in the royal family was alerted before the Instagram post went live, leaving many of them in shock as they discovered what had unfolded. It seems curious that Harry and Meghan wouldn’t let anybody know of their decision beforehand, but it does give more credence to the idea that this wasn’t a mutual breakup.
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The Planning Process
The couple’s shocking reveal has led many to wonder — have Harry and Meghan been planning for this since the day they were married? Was it a decision made on a whim? Were they already planning their eventual departure during the time that they moved out of Kensington Palace back in March of 2019? If they knew back in March, how is it possible that the royal family was shocked by the news? Shouldn’t they have seen this coming?
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Unprecedented Move
It wouldn’t be fair to blame the royal family for not seeing Harry and Meghan’s departure coming, because this was an unprecedented move. No royal family member has ever attempted to utilize a “half-and-half” approach – that is splitting time between being a royal family member and not being one. In order to make an arrangement work for all parties involved, there will have to be compromises and a level of understanding that we’ve never seen before.
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One Foot Out The Door
This past Monday, the Queen called for an emergency meeting to be held at Sandringham Estate. Harry joined his family members at the estate for a crisis talk, which lasted two hours. Meghan was unable to attend as she was reportedly in Canada at the time. Her living in Canada nearly full-time led many to believe that she was already mentally checked out of the UK. Meghan wasn’t even able to attend the meeting by phone due to security reasons.
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They’ll Be Just Fine
A common phrase many are pointing to in the couple’s Instagram post has been “financially independent”. Harry and Meghan insist that by quitting the royal family, they intend to make it on their own from a monetary perspective. However, the couple received a consistent income from the Sovereign Grant – a government-issued fund which bans them from earning their own wealth. The couple are also reportedly worth $30 million on their own – made up primarily from Meghan’s acting career and Harry’s inheritance.
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Back To The Acting World
Though $30 million should be plenty for the couple to work with, there’s still room for money-making opportunities with their newfound time. Meghan could conceivably return to her acting roots, as she would be a prized commodity given her enhanced fame. Harry could go back to being…a geography major? The Prince of Sussex hasn’t experienced much of the work force in his life, and this would be an ideal time to seize the chance for new experiences.
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Social Media Firestorm
As expected, the news of Harry and Meghan’s exit set the internet ablaze. Within minutes, thousands upon thousands of comments, jokes, and memes were posted to the internet for the entire world to see. The general consensus gathered from the ensuing firestorm: blame Meghan.
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Megxit Memes
The British public didn’t take too kindly to “Megxit”. The vast majority of British people feel a devout loyalty to the Queen and her family. When the statement released by the family stated that they didn’t know about Harry and Meghan’s inability to disclose their plan beforehand, the UK felt betrayed by the couple, and let their voice be heard through various social media outlets, including Twitter.
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Where Are They Now?
As stated earlier, Meghan is currently in Canada with the couple’s son, Archie. Harry will likely soon join her there. Meghan previously lived in Canada for seven years, and it appears to be the most likely landing spot for the couple for the immediate future. There’s also a chance that the couple joins Meghan’s mother in her home state of California. Several North American options are available for the Duke and Duchess.
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Unanswered Questions
Though we have an idea of how the couple will operate during their time away, there are still several unanswered questions due to the breakup. Will Meghan be able to use Instagram again (she was banned from using her personal account following her marriage)? Will the couple be granted body guards during this time? Can they be tried for crimes? Harry and Meghan separating themselves from the royal family has opened up countless scenarios that we could see unfold in the near future.
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Buckingham Statement
A statement was released from Buckingham Palace following the initial announcement:
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family…”
The Queen then goes on to say that Harry and Meghan will be splitting their time between Canada and the UK, and also noted that this is a complex situation that will take time to fully resolve. Certainly an interesting choice of verbiage given the situation…
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Familial Thoughts
The short statement was issued by the royal family as a whole, but a quote has yet to surface from any of the individual family members over the news. How did William and Kate take it? How will their relationship with Harry and Meghan change moving forward? How will Harry and Meghan’s relationship with any of the royal family members be affected moving forward? This decision not only affected an entire country, but could also have a severe lasting impact on UK’s most popular family.
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How Much Does This REALLY Matter?
To put it plainly: there’s no way to know. It may seem like a disastrous turn of events to some, but we must place a bit of context into the discussion. Though Harry is a Prince who may very well take the throne one day, there are five people immediately in-line before him. That’s right – Prince Harry ranks sixth in line for the throne. Unless something catastrophic happened, its unlikely Harry would ever be called upon to take the throne.
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Wait and See
For now, there’s no way of telling how Harry and Meghan’s decision will shake up Britain’s core. Will the royal family never be the same again? Likely — but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve reached a dire situation. At the very least, the couple’s decision could help influence others in the family to do the same. Only time will tell.
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Happily Ever After
When it comes down to it, Harry and Meghan ultimately made this decision because they felt like it was the right thing to do. From the public’s eye, they seem to be a loving couple who grew exhausted of the constant media circus that follows Harry’s family. Harry and Meghan deserve a tip of the cap for speaking up and making a decision for themselves. They seem to be genuinely happy together — away, but still a part of the family — and that’s all that should matter in the end.
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