Harry And Meghan To Formally Step Down As Senior Royals On March 31

Feb 21, 2020

Starting April 1, Harry and Meghan will no longer hold an office at Buckingham Palace. The couple will instead be represented by their U.K. charity foundation team. This is part of the agreement the two of them struck with the Queen formerly. Despite this, their official spokesperson clarified that they will still uphold many of their duties and charitable work.

The news has been confirmed by a spokesperson of the couple, as reported by People. They went on to add that the Duke and Duchess will be spending time in both the United Kingdom and North America, but that they will not stop working on their charity projects.

“In general, the themes of their cause related work will remain unchanged, which includes the Commonwealth, community, youth empowerment and mental health, collectively.”

So while Harry and Meghan may step down from their official roles, they will not stop working for and with the Royal Family.

The agreement between the Queen and the Duke and Duchess is only supposed hold for a year. After this trial, the couple and the Royal Family will reassess whether this shift in responsibilities is going to work out. In the meanwhile, Harry is going to keep his military titles of Major, Lieutenant Commander and Squadron Leader. His honorary military titles will be revoked, however. Whether the couple is going to keep the title "Royal" is not so sure at the moment. 

“As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior members of the royal family and will work towards financial independence, use of the word ‘royal’, in this context needed to be reviewed. Discussions are still ongoing,” reports People.

Despite this uncertainty, Harry and Meghan will keep their titles as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their titles of The Earl and Countess of Dumbarton and The Baron and Baroness Kilkeel. Prince Harry will remain sixth in the line of succession and the couple's status in the Order of Precedence is unchanged. Officially, they will keep their HRH titles but as a compromise no longer use them actively. Whether they will be able to use the term "Sussex Royal" as their brand is still unclear, as Insider reports. The reached agreement apparently doesn't clear this up either. How this will affect the couple's Instagram account is unclear at this time.

The couple will also still visit Great Britain regularly and keep up with several of their duties. At the top of this list are their visits and support for a number of charities, including an appearance at the Endeavour Fund Awards on March 5. The Endeavour Fund Awards acknowledge wounded, sick and injured members and veterans of the British military service. They have also confirmed they will be visiting the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall on March 7 and Harry will join singer Jon Bon Jovi for the Invictus Games Choir Visit on Feb. 28.

Their spokesperson also had some more information to add, aside from news about the agreement:

"In addition to continuing to work closely with their existing patronages as they build a plan for engagements in the U.K. and the Commonwealth throughout the year, The Duke and Duchess have also been undertaking meetings as part of their ongoing work to establish a new non-profit organization. The details of this new organization will be shared later in the year."

It's clear that the Duke and Duchess don't intent to let their exit from the Royal Family stop them from following up on their charitable work. How exactly the details will work out is something we will see in the coming weeks.

What do you think about the way Harry and Meghan are handling their official separation from the Royal Family? Do you think they should be allowed to keep using the "Sussex Royal" brand? Let us know in the comments and pass this story along to your friends!