Early this morning Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced in an Instagram post that they’re stepping back from being Royal.
Yes, really.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent,” they wrote in their Instagram caption. “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.”
They note that living between England and North America will also help them launch their latest “charitable entity.”
The decision comes after Meghan’s endured years of abuse and harassment from the British media, often with racially charged undertones. Despite filing a lawsuit against Mail on Sunday, it seemed there was no sign of it slowing down.
So far the response has been mixed. Many are praising Harry for putting Meghan’s safety first.
“Good job. Harry is riding for his woman and family. Love it♥️,” one user wrote.
“You are right, preserve yourself, Meghan and your son, your mom would be very proud of you, I wish you lots of good things ??❤️,” wrote another.
While others feel they’re running away, like this commenter:
“I’m disappointed. It’s not carving out a progressive path, it’s running away. It’s her way of punishing the royal family because she couldn’t change it and it was too hard for her to adapt. It started by keeping the title away from her son, she had the opportunity to be progressive and ground breaking…now she is dividing a family and disrespecting traditions and history.”
And some wonder what will happen to the taxpayers’ dollar, “Will British tax payers continue to pay for your security? Do we still have to call you Duke and Duchess and still bow, howl and squeal at your presence? Meghan knew exactly what she signed up for, but she got her prince, her title, the wealth and now the best of both worlds.”
But the decision doesn’t come as a complete surprise to those who follow the Royal family. For months there have been a few tell-tale signs of something major brewing, like the Queen failing to mention Harry and Meghan in her Christmas speech and the couple spending Christmas alone with Archie in Canada.
This is just another example of how Meghan Markle is a force of positive change for the Royal family.
We’re shook.