Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Announce Plan To Step Back From Royal Family

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have decided they no longer want to be senior members of the British royal family.

As per a new note, which was posted on their Instagram account on Wednesday (January 8), Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, revealed that the decision arrived after months of internal discussions. "We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the joint statement read. “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."

Elsewhere in the statement, the couple admitted that they plan to balance their time between the United Kingdom and North America, while "continuing to honour [their] 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," they continued.

Still, the pair isn't entirely retreating from the public eye. In fact, they said that they "look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step" as they continue collaborations with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, amongst others. Scroll on below to read the statement in full!

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