For the first time in the history of the royal family: everything you need to know about Harry and Megan's 'renunciation'
'10.01.2020'
Source: with the BBC
The partial resignation of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle is the main topic of the last XNUMX hours in the UK. The rest of the royal family is furious and angry, and what to do next is not clear, because there was nothing similar in history, writes Air force.
Late in the evening of January 8, Harry and Megan announced their decision on Instagram.
They only want to partially fulfill the duties of members of the royal family, gain financial independence and live not only in the UK, but also in North America. And, thereby, play a new, progressive role in the history of the court.
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Was it before
No, nothing like that. Members of the royal family left her before, but it was a renunciation with the deprivation of all titles and contents.
Royal family experts remember only King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American Wallis Simpson. She, like Meghan Markle, was American - and also divorced, even twice.
But the similarity ends there: King Edward was not as popular as Prince Harry, and immediately after the abdication, he lost any influence on the royal family.
How did the yard react
Formal, short and formal. “We understand their desire to go their own way, but there are complex nuances, and it will take time to figure them out,” reads the text of the official statement.
In fact, experts use words like “furious”, “overwhelming” or “angry” to refer to this statement. This is evidenced by the very fact that the palace made a statement - usually he does not comment on anything, especially on intra-family matters.
The sources of the BBC's royal affairs correspondent Johnny Diamond say the court was in shock. And not only because Harry and Meghan made such a statement at all. According to sources, not a single person in the royal family knew that such a move was being prepared.
Thomas Markle, Megan's father, also announced his disappointment. He refrained from other details.
The only thing that is clear about Prince Harry's position in the family is that until he announced his abdication, he will still remain sixth in line to the throne.
Where will they live
From the official statement, it is only clear that there are two countries, and one of them is still Great Britain.
According to the tabloids, the family of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would like to keep Frogmore Cottage for themselves during their life in England - a house next to Windsor Palace, where the couple lived until recently. Especially for them, it was renovated for 2,4 million pounds (more than $ 3 million) by taxpayers.
According to the most popular version of the British press, the United States will become the second country for Megan and Harry to live. Meghan Markle lived there, and there she feels safe from the British tabloids, which made her life in London unbearable.
Sources of the Sun tabloid insist that the couple will not live in the United States, but in Canada. This country is part of the British Commonwealth, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent a six-week vacation this winter.
And even the new official website of Harry and Megan, as the tabloids drew attention, was created by a Canadian company.
The BBC conducted a survey of residents on the streets of Canada, who said they would only be happy to host the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
What will they live on
So far, it’s not at all clear. Members of the royal family are forbidden to make money with rare exceptions.
For example, Prince Harry earned himself during his military service. His salary was 36 thousand pounds (47 thousand dollars) per year - more than the national average (29,5 thousand pounds per year), but less than the average in London (36,6 thousand per year).
In 2018-2019, for the performance of their public duties, they received about 5 million pounds (6,5 million dollars) - from the Prince Charles Foundation. In addition, Harry and Meghan are entitled to about 5% of the grant that the royal family is given from the budget. In 2018-2019, the total amount of this grant was 82 million pounds (107 million dollars).
Perhaps Prince Harry and Megan will be able to earn from their charitable foundation. They mentioned it in their official statement.
But even without that, they will not become poor people - Harry has an inheritance from his mother, Princess Diana, Meghan Markle, before leaving for the royal family, received 50 thousand dollars for participation in each episode of the series "Force Majeure" (The Suits; she starred in 134 episodes in total).
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In addition, Megan received several large fees for other films in which she starred.
The problem here is that traditionally members of the royal family, and even more so important as Prince Harry, do not have the right to engage in commercial activities, earning in their own name.
Therefore, any business relationship between the prince and the business world, as well as Megan’s desire to renew his blog on the Internet, will cause serious concern for Buckingham Palace.
What experts think about it
Their confusion can be judged by the phrase of one of them: he said that Harry and Megan will now more often fly across the ocean, and this will cause protests from eco-activists fighting emissions into the atmosphere.
Royal family historian Keith Williams told the BBC that Harry and Meghan are already world-class celebrities, and it is unlikely that any of their movements will change this. Moreover, in her opinion, attention to them will only increase as Prince Charles becomes kings first, and then Harry's older brother, Prince William.
Royal family journalist Penny Junor said it was “more than weird” to make that decision without first placing Her Majesty.
Spectator Magazine notes that Harry and Megan put the queen in a difficult position. If they do not give up their titles, then every initiative, every undertaking and every mistake will be viewed through the prism of the British royal family.
This will be unfair to the heirs to the throne - Prince Charles and Prince William, therefore, the magazine writes, the queen will have to take someone's side and, perhaps, she will have to make a difficult decision.
Opinions of subjects
Database analytics company Brandwatch estimated that in the first 12 hours after the statement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, they were mentioned about 277 thousand times on social networks. 65% of the mentions were negative, the rest were sympathetic and supportive.
For example, TV presenter Pierce Morgan tweeted: “People say that I am too critical of Meghan Markle, but she left her first family, her father, estranged from most of her old friends, separated Harry and William, and now Harry and the royal family ”.
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Princess-sympathetic actor Tom Felton said: "It will be fun to see the Sun and Mail mourn Meghan and Harry as if they weren't XNUMX% responsible for what happened."
The tabloids on the first day after the statement of Harry and Megan really looked confused. The Sun has put the word “megsit” on the front page - similar to Brexit. The others talked less about them than about the rage of the rest of the royal family.
Meanwhile, people on social networks are joking that they would look at Meghan Markle as herself in the series The Crown.
Madame Tussauds has already separated the wax figures of Harry and Megan from the figures of the rest of the royal family and put them on a separate pedestal.
After the announcement of the Meghsit, the Duchess of Sussex has so far returned to Canada, where Archie's 9-month-old son was waiting for her. Prince Harry remains in London and settles the consequences of his decision to step back from the royal family, reports Woman.ru.
