|
Post by Admin on Feb 20, 2021 0:56:33 GMT
One year ago, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped back from their working senior royal family roles, with a one year review in place for them and the Queen to reevaluate the situation and whether or not they would want to return to life as working royals. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex built their own life in Montecito, California, signing deals with Netflix and Spotify to create content. They let the Queen know that they don't intend to return to their working royal family roles, and the Queen took arguably punitive action. This morning, Buckingham Palace released a statement, revealing that the Queen has stripped the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of all the royal patronages she gave them along with all of Harry's honorary military titles. Harry is a veteran, rising to the rank of Captain during his decade of military serve. He served two tours in Afghanistan. The Buckingham Palace statement reads: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family. Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family. While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family. Meghan and Harry released their own statement in response to the news through their spokesperson. "As evidenced by their work over the past year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal," the spokesperson said.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 20, 2021 19:16:19 GMT
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal exit, now fully permanent, has been controversial among some royal fans and, according to anonymous royal "sources," even among some members of the royal family. One royal has gone very much on the record supporting the move though: Harry's aunt, Princess Anne. Princess Anne (aka Anne, Princess Royal) is Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's second child and only daughter and she's definitely Team Sussex. In an April 2020 interview with Vanity Fair (which happened to take place just a month after Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back from royal duties), the royal made a firm statement about her nephew's big move. "I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles," she explained to royal expert Katie Nicholl. "So I think that was probably the right thing to do." Anyone who knows much about the royal family won't be surprised by Anne's stance, of course. Even though she's still a working royal herself, she and her first husband, Mark Phillips, opted to break royal tradition and decline HRH titles for their children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall. Harry and Meghan, of course, made the same call when their son, Archie Harrison, was born in 2019, deciding against having the Queen give him a royal title. It's good to know that, no matter how many rumors there are of royal feuds related to Harry and Meghan's exit, they have at least one relative who is firmly on their side.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 21, 2021 20:45:11 GMT
Last week, Buckingham Palace released its statement about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal exit becoming permanent—and what that meant for their remaining titles and patronages. Specifically, Harry is being stripped of his honorary military titles and both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are being removed from their official royal patronages.
In its official statement on the issue, the Palace wrote:
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.
Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.
While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family." In response, Harry and Meghan released a brief (and widely-interpreted as tense) statement of their own. "As evidenced by their work over the past year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal," a spokesperson for the couple said.
Harry and Meghan's statement has reportedly upset some in royal circles—including Harry's brother, Prince William. According to a Sunday Times report, William is "really sad and genuinely shocked" by the statement, which another source close to the royal family described as "petulant and insulting to the Queen."
Explaining the outrage the Sussexes' statement has stirred up within royal circles, another source close to the situation said, "You don’t answer the Queen back—it’s just not done." According to Page Six, William isn't alone and other members of the royal family are also "stunned" not just by the fact that Harry and Meghan publicly replied to the Palace's statement, but by the tone of the statement their spokesperson shared. In the wake of the royal exit, William is said to have been struggling with the breakdown of his relationship with Harry.
"Once he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother," a royal aide explained. "They had shared everything about their lives—an office, a foundation, meetings together most days—and there was a lot of fun along the way. He’ll miss it forever."
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2021 22:11:24 GMT
Meghan Markle is not the first biracial member of the British royal family, which traces its lineage to at least two queens of African origin, according to a royal expert. “All of the British royals have African blood,” said Lady Colin Campbell, a Jamaica-born socialite who has written numerous books on the Windsors, including “People of Color and the Royals,” published in 2019. One Black royal was Queen Charlotte, who is the focus of the Netflix series “Bridgerton,” Campbell told The Post. Born in 1774, Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a direct descendant of Margarita de Castro Souza, a Portuguese noblewoman who traced her line to Madragana Ben Aloandro, the North African mistress of Portugal’s King Afonso III in the 13th century. Historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom has said the depiction of Charlotte in royal paintings emphasizes her African features. Bridgerton Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte. In addition to Charlotte, who was married to King George III, Campbell and other historians point to Philippa of Hainault, the wife and adviser to King Edward III. Philippa was of North African Moorish ancestry, born in northern France in 1314. “When you take this history into consideration, accusing the royal family of racism is preposterous,” said Campbell, alluding to Markle’s recent interview with Oprah Winfrey in which she claimed that she was subjected to poor treatment because of her race and had suicidal thoughts. Markle also said one member of the royal family expressed concerns about her baby’s skin color before the birth of her son, Archie, in May, 2019.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Mar 16, 2021 6:04:02 GMT
An Anglican vicar has claimed he was told by staff at the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s claim that they got married in the back garden of their home—three days before their official wedding—may be the result of a misunderstanding stemming from the fact that “Meghan is an American.” Rev. Mark Edwards has told his local paper in Newcastle, The Chronicle, that he contacted Archbishop Justin Welby’s office to “get some clarity” on the claim after the couple mentioned it in their Oprah Winfrey interview. He said he was motivated in part to do so because he has been flooded with requests for private or outdoor weddings during lockdown that he has not been able to fulfill, because the law states that Church of England weddings must take place in “a certified place of worship” and cannot be conducted outside. The Chronicle reported he was told by a staff member at Welby’s office: “Justin does not do private weddings. Meghan is an American, she does not understand.” The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office has refused to comment either way on remarks about the wedding made by Meghan and Harry in the interview about their 2018 wedding. During last week’s bombshell interview, Meghan said: “You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that. “The vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.” Later on in the show, Harry concurred with his wife, saying the “marriage” had taken place with just them and Welby in the garden of Nottingham Cottage, the property in the grounds of Kensington Palace, where Harry and Meghan were living at the time. The claims were hotly contested in the British media, much of which has been highly critical of Meghan and Harry giving the interview, and have used apparent inaccuracies and contradictions in the interview in an effort to undermine its credibility and question the allegations of racism raised by the couple.
|
|