Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be spending a lot more time in North America this upcoming year, after they announced they will “take a step back as senior members of the royal family.”
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They will now split their time between the U.K. and North America, the couple announced in a statement on their Instagram page.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” The statement said in part. “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.”
They added that the “the 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.”
This year the couple didn’t join the royal family for the holidays. They instead spent it with their 8-month-old son Archie on Vancouver Island in Canada, which is part of the commonwealth.
Meghan previously lived in Canada when she was a star on the television show “Suits.”
The announcement comes after Meghan expressed difficulty with living in such a harsh spotlight that comes with being in the royal family.
“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging,” Markle told ITV journalist Tom Bradby.“And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed . . . thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m okay.”
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