Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially quit royal life with a final adieu on social media

By Vandana Srivastawa

on April 01, 2020

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have officially stepped down from their roles of being senior members of the British Royal family on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The couple has moved to California, US to start a new life and to ‘work to become financially independent’.

Their decision of stepping down from the royal duties means that they can no longer represent Queen Elizabeth II or carry out duties on her behalf. They are also giving up their office within the British monarchy. They will relinquish their His or Her Royal Highness titles and can no longer use the ‘Sussex Royal’ label and the official Instagram page. However, they will continue to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex their official titles and Harry remain sixth in line to the throne, with no change in the line of succession.

View this post on Instagram

As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile. Yet we are confident that every human being has the potential and opportunity to make a difference—as seen now across the globe, in our families, our communities and those on the front line—together we can lift each other up to realise the fullness of that promise. What’s most important right now is the health and wellbeing of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic. As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute. While you may not see us here, the work continues. Thank you to this community - for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You’ve been great! Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another. Harry and Meghan

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Mar 30, 2020 at 9:17am PDT

The couple’s decision to forgo a royal life and charting a new territory came as a shock for many including the Royal Family. Reportedly, Meghan was deeply unhappy with life inside the centuries-old institution and the increasing media scrutiny and intrusion led to the couple taking this extreme decision. It led to the 93-year-old Queen to call an emergency meeting with her eldest son and heir Prince Charles, and his two sons Prince William and Harry to outline the new terms of their departure.

Harry’s and Meghan’s exit from the Royal Family has been unceremoniously termed ‘Megxit’ by the British press. The couple signed off with a final post on their now-mothballed SussexRoyal Instagram account with, “While you may not see us here, the work continues... We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You've been great!" Meghan has already lent her voice to Disneynature's film Elephant. The couple is said to have relocated to California by private jet earlier this month and will be paying for their own security in the United States.

(Source: Instagram)