After Brexit, the “Megxit” is now final: Harry and Meghan have made the hard cut from the British crown. You leave behind a royal family that has to find itself anew.
London (dpa) – They went to great lengths to make the message look as calm as possible: “A statement from Buckingham Palace to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” is the name of the inconspicuous message that the royal family linked on Twitter on Friday .
But the content is tough. The tenor: The “Megxit” is finally over – Harry and Meghan are gone, far away, and will not be back either.
After talks with Harry, the Queen confirmed that after withdrawing from the royal family it was not possible to “continue the responsibilities and duties associated with a life in the service of the people”, according to the official statement. Therefore, both would also give back their patronage and military honorary titles, which should be redistributed in the family.
Harry (36) and Meghan (39) broke away from the royal family at the beginning of last year and announced that they wanted to live financially independently. Today, the two of them live in California with their one-year-old son Archie, produce series and podcasts, get involved a lot and are expecting another child. A major interview with US presenter Oprah Winfrey is due to be published soon.
From the beginning – similar to Brexit – a one-year transition phase for the “Megxit” was agreed. Until then, the future role of the couple in the crown should be clarified in talks with Queen Elizabeth II. “Although everyone is sad about their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain very beloved members of the family,” the royal family now concluded.
It is most likely his lost role in the military that Prince Harry will particularly regret. After years of service with deployments in Afghanistan, he had always kept in close contact with the army and also initiated the “Invictus Games”, an international sports competition for wounded and disabled soldiers. But the newly won freedom has its price – this is the message that the palace underpins with its clear announcement.
The hard cut that has now been announced does not come as a surprise. Insiders had previously declared the couple’s return to the British royal family to be almost impossible after the two signed lucrative contracts with the streaming platforms Netflix and Spotify. And yet it marks another turning point in turbulent times.
The Windsors are currently concerned about the health of Prince Philip, who have been a steadfast supporter of the Queen and thus the Crown for more than half a century. The Queen’s 99-year-old husband was taken to the hospital on Tuesday evening – purely a precautionary measure and only for observation, as the palace quickly pointed out. But the discharge has been delayed: The Duke of Edinburgh will stay in hospital until the coming week, the British media reported on Friday afternoon.
The Queen, heir to the throne Prince Charles and his eldest son William and his wife Kate tried to achieve “business as usual” and a good atmosphere during these days: an accolade here, a meeting with medical workers there, no hospital visits or worry lines.
The fact that the royals do not necessarily go through their easiest times is shown in a rather subtle way: The royal family did not publicly consider the 61st birthday of scandal Prince Andrew with congratulations, but with a sober statement: “On this day in 1960, the Queen has a son Brought to the world, the first child since 1857 to be born by a ruling monarch, ”said the same Twitter account on which the royal family dropped the“ Megxit ”bomb a few hours later.
Prince Andrew, the third child of the royal family after Prince Charles (72) and Princess Anne (70) and before Prince Edward (56), had come under massive pressure because of his friendship with the multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who has since died. The convicted US businessman is said to have abused dozens of underage girls over the years and forced them into prostitution. One of the victims accuses Prince Andrew of having abused her several times. The Royal denies that. He, too, has since withdrawn from his official duties – albeit for completely different reasons than Harry and Meghan.
All the more pressure is on the remaining royals, who also try hard in the everyday life of the pandemic to keep their people happy with comforting smiles and sympathetic words. Duchess Kate and someday heir to the throne William are visible as rarely and are maneuvered from the palace onto the platter whenever possible. That they sometimes miss the casual ease with which Meghan and Harry announced their second child a few days ago by artistic black and white photo – a gift.
The couple, now formally divorced from the palace, confirmed through a spokesman that they wanted to maintain their commitment in Great Britain and around the world and continue to work with the organizations. «We can all live a life in the service of the community. It is universal, ”the two announced. The great public fascination for the young family who has strayed from the royal path should continue to be universal, regardless of honorary titles and royal family left behind. After all, Netflix and Spotify are also available in good, old Britain – and far beyond.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210219-99-510104 / 8
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