ROYALSPrince Harry & Meghan Markle Stripped Of 'Royal Patronages,' Will Not Return As Working Royals
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been stripped of their links to royal and military patronages after they told Queen Elizabeth II that they have no intention of returning to royal duties at the end of their 12-month "Megxit" review period.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family,” a statement issued by Buckingham Palace read.
"Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service."
The statement continued, "The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.
"While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much-loved members of the family."
"As evidenced by their work over the past year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role,” a spokesperson for Meghan and Harry said.
"We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."
A palace insider said that the Queen made her decision after "conversations between the Duke of Sussex and members of The Royal Family," according to the Express.
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The decision means that Harry will lose his honorary titles as Captain-General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Force Commandant of RAF base Honington and Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving of the military. He will also relinquish royal links to The Rugby Football Union and The Rugby Football League.
Meanwhile, Markle has lost royal links to the National Theatre and the Association of Commonwealth Universities which were patronages from the Queen.
"The National Theatre is very grateful for the support offered by The Duchess of Sussex throughout the course of her patronage," the National Theatre stated.
"The Duchess championed our work with communities and young people across the UK, and our mission to make theatre accessible to all.
"As Buckingham Palace have stated, the process of appointing a new patron is ongoing and will be announced in due course."
"The Rugby Football League thanks The Duke of Sussex for his time, care and commitment in supporting Rugby League at all levels in recent years — from the children’s game to the Challenge Cup, the England teams and RLWC2021," the Rugby Football League tweeted.
This comes days after the couple announced they are expecting their second child and they revealed that they will have a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey next month.
Since relocating to California, the Sussexes have signed deals with Netflix and Spotify and launched their own project, Archewell.
"No one knows what’s going on inside Netflix with regard to Meghan and Harry. The couple reached a major multi-year, multi-million deal, and their first TV project is going to air on CBS. None of this makes any sense," a source told OK! earlier this week.
"Meghan wants to be interviewed alone at first. Just her and Oprah, then Harry will join them toward the end."
