Meghan and Harry 2: Now with Archie

[tabitha2]

Don’t need to aim. You don’t feeling like being Royal? Ok. Try to  live your present lifestyle with the money you got. If that is not working change your lifestyle to suit your means. Get Jobs even. Plenty of minor Royal relations have them. 

...And Go!

Taking Granny’s or Daddy’s personal money should not be allowed either.  

[FluffySnowball]

If they follow through with what they intend to do and how they intend to live, this seems to be a reasonable and healthy choice for them. They don’t burn any bridges, have the option to resume more royal duties in the future and get to raise their baby the way they want to. I must say, I wish them well. Also, isn’t this similar to how Diana lived and worked after her divorce (without partially moving to America of course)? 

Here’s the crucial part of their announcement: 

Edited January 8, 2020 by FluffySnowball

[Seculardaisy]

1 hour ago, zygote373 said:

Harry and Meghan stepping back from their royal duties with the aim of being financially independent.

Maybe now people can stop criticizing their every move.

I honestly love this. I love that they’re choosing to do what feels mentally healthy and right for them and their family. 
 

This appears to be a healthy choice for them and their well being and I respect it very much. 

[tabitha2]

Ahh. The word is they will still get funded by the Duchy so, no, they will not be financially independent.  They will give up the Title but keep security as well. 
 

Basically they want to be Royals with the perks and glory but only work when they feel like it and of course get praised and paid. 

[adidas]

The statement from Buckingham Palace shows clearly that no other royals knew this announcement was coming. 

[Bethella]

1 hour ago, FluffySnowball said:

They don’t burn any bridges

Given that they didn't even give the rest of the family a heads up before releasing the statement, I'm guessing they did burn some bridges today. 

[Blahblah]

Jumping before they were pushed? 

I have questions though - what happens to super expensively renovated to their personal demands  Frogmore Cottage now? Does it sit empty until they swan back in once in a while? Are the staff moved elsewhere in the down time, or paid to rattle about when it is unoccupied? Or will they bunk in for free at one of Granny's spare palaces?

Who is going to pay for wherever they decide to live  now?

Sounds like Meghan has achieved her dream existence. Off to North America where she can be treated both as a celeb and as a royal with the lovely British tax payers footing the bill. Even if the queen and Charles throw money at them from their "private" income that is still coming from the tax payer. Same result, different bucket of money.

[FluffySnowball]

4 minutes ago, Bethella said:

Given that they didn't even give the rest of the family a heads up before releasing the statement, I'm guessing they did burn some bridges today. 

Really? I gotta admit I didn’t know. Is this a rumor or do we know that for sure?!

ETA: I just saw your post, @adidas. Now I get it. Really odd. Anyways, thanks for the info, you two. 

Edited January 8, 2020 by FluffySnowball

[adidas]

Exactly. Coming up on our morning tv news now are reports confirming that no other member of the royal family was consulted before they released their statement through their website and social media.

ETA:

5 minutes ago, FluffySnowball said:

Really? I gotta admit I didn’t know. Is this a rumor or do we know that for sure?!

Our tv news is saying that the royal family have confirmed they didn’t know - but they are not giving a source so I don’t know if it’s true.
 

I think the statement from Buckingham palace is pretty clear though. Just imo. 

Edited January 8, 2020 by adidas

[Seculardaisy]

Spoiler

I love Funny Or Die’s take on this. This absolutely does sound like a Hallmark Christmas movie plot.

Edited January 8, 2020 by Seculardaisy

[tabitha2]

Shit. These two are flakier than a can of Pillsbury .

[Screamapillar]

This People article has more details about their income, public funding, and a new media relations policy.

https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-and-prince-harry-address-every-question-about-bombshell-announcement-see-them-all/

This stood out to me:

Quote

Why have The Duke and Duchess of Sussex elected to change their media policy now?
The Duke and Duchess have chosen to revise their media policy to reflect both their forthcoming change as members of the Royal Family with financial independence, and their wish to reshape and broaden access to their work.

So they will be able to negotiate with media outlets on their own, outside of the 'Royal Rota' system. That should indeed assist them in their pursuit of financial independence.

[WiseGirl]

31 minutes ago, Screamapillar said:

That should indeed assist them in their pursuit of financial independence.

Anyone else see them shilling stuff for $$$?

I too could be financially independent with a couple million inheritance. If they aren't going to play the royal roles they should have to give up the titles and money that come with them.

@acheronbeach I too have heard negative things about MM from people in the industry. 

I personally think they are burning quite a few bridges.

Interesting to see how this plays out.

[tabitha2]

Harry clearly is pure Spencer both in looks and attitude. Capricious, dramatic, headstrong can be astonishingly selfish and cocksure.  He was Diana’s baby boy and apparently still is. 
 

If(When) he comes crawling back in a year or two I hope they let him lie in the bed he made.

[PlentyOfJesusFishInTheSea]

4 hours ago, zygote373 said:

Harry and Meghan stepping back from their royal duties with the aim of being financially independent.

Maybe now people can stop criticizing their every move.

Good for them, I hope they get some peace!

[tabitha2]

Well that’s a relief! Can rest easy tonight! Though They certainly are not giving his 94 and 99 yr old grandparents nor his Brother and Wife  who now have  to work that much harder affecting their own family life Nor his already work horse father any peace. The same family who stood by him Dressing as Nazi and acting like a naked drunken fool and using drugs. 

[Blahblah]

25 minutes ago, PlentyOfJesusFishInTheSea said:

Good for them, I hope they get some peace!

 Hope they do too. I just hope they don’t expect to have peace and quiet by picking and choosing which aspects of being royal they turn their backs on, while keeping the other bits that suit them.

No pesky rules on media communication but we’ll be keeping Frogmore thanks. No sovereign grant but we’d like the security and travel please.

If they don’t want to be senior royals then they shouldn’t get paid security (just as Beatrice & Eugenie don’t). If they don’t live in the UK most of the time, then they shouldn't get to keep Frogmore Cottage sitting empty while they are living somewhere else. They can have a smaller apartment in one of the palaces as a base for their visits. If they want to be financially independent they can stop taking hand outs from the Queen and Charles and live within the means of their earnings, inheritance and savings. Dropping the sovereign grant income is only 5% of their hand outs.

 

[BlondeIdol]

Meh. This all just seems like more cherry picking to me.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

“Financially independent” plus more time in North America equals Meghan wanting her old life back - but now she’s rich and royal! I wonder if she wants to go back to acting? Off to the red carpet! This reminds me so much of Diana releasing a statement on her divorce before the agreement was final (and, according to Patrick Jephson, accidentally losing her HRH because she forgot to put it in the statement and didn’t consult her staff or lawyers).

[KnittingOwl]

2 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Anyone else see them shilling stuff for $$$?

I too could be financially independent with a couple million inheritance. If they aren't going to play the royal roles they should have to give up the titles and money that come with them.

@acheronbeach I too have heard negative things about MM from people in the industry. 

I personally think they are burning quite a few bridges.

Interesting to see how this plays out.

I agree. It sounds like they want to continue to be the Duke and Duchess of Sussex so they can make money based on their celebrity. Which has worked SO WELL for Fergie, Duchess of York. ?

They are keeping Frogmore (apparently it was a gift), keep money from their Duchy, and keep titles. None of this sounds independent to me. 

This reminds me a lot of Princess Madeline of Sweden. She wants to be a princess when she wants to - attending weddings and Nobel awards as a princess - but then wants to be a private person and no one should bother her or her kids. 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

First off, I don't blame Meghan and Harry for wanting to take a step back from their royal duties. The media, press and mass criticism of them has been cruel. Not only that, but Harry is far enough from the throne so he likely won't be king.

However, I do have an issue with them not giving the Royal family a heads up. Yes, the family may have had a feeling or was aware that they were considering this. But, they did it in a way that blindsided the family by letting them find out when everyone else did. The family had no time to prepare statements, talk things over with them, and/or allow the Royal family to process this entirely before they made up their minds.

I have a feeling they are going to be in for a bumpy ride because of how they chose to tell the world. It would not surprise me if they have to leave their home in the UK and get jobs for some time. Yes, Frogmore was a gift, but it was a gift by the Queen they spent thousands of dollars on renovating and owned by the royal family. From the way it looks the Queen seems really pissed about this whole thing, so she might rescind the cottage. 

Also, if Meghan and Harry believe or think that this will help with the media leaving them alone with salacious stories it won't. It will only make things worse because the media is going to be all over the story. The British press is notorious for writing outlandish stories. If they step back, then they will most likely lose some of the security surrounding the press. This whole thing is going to be a mess.

Edited January 9, 2020 by NancyDrewFan1989
Update

[dawbs]

In some ways, I think thet can't win.

I'm not a royals watcher (not even CLOSE) but their options are...what?

1-Keep doing what they're doing and deal with the scrutiny and the things that REALLY (reasonably, imo) suck about being royal

2-step back. Which is what it sounds like they're trying to do

3-is there a 3? Become regular Joe's with jobs? Instagram influencers? Recluses?

 

They might be expected to do it with more grace, but this is such uncharted territory (yes, I know, king whats-his-head did it. But that was pre-social-media) that i think its bound to cause bumps.

I hope they truly get out.

 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

4 hours ago, Blahblah said:

Jumping before they were pushed? 

I have questions though - what happens to super expensively renovated to their personal demands  Frogmore Cottage now? Does it sit empty until they swan back in once in a while? Are the staff moved elsewhere in the down time, or paid to rattle about when it is unoccupied? Or will they bunk in for free at one of Granny's spare palaces?

Who is going to pay for wherever they decide to live  now?

Sounds like Meghan has achieved her dream existence. Off to North America where she can be treated both as a celeb and as a royal with the lovely British tax payers footing the bill. Even if the queen and Charles throw money at them from their "private" income that is still coming from the tax payer. Same result, different bucket of money.

The cottage was a gift from the Queen. But, the family sounds really upset about the whole thing since they didn't give them a heads up. The house is owned by the royal family. Even though it was a gift, it wouldn't shock me if the Queen tells them to move out. 

1 hour ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

“Financially independent” plus more time in North America equals Meghan wanting her old life back - but now she’s rich and royal! I wonder if she wants to go back to acting? Off to the red carpet! This reminds me so much of Diana releasing a statement on her divorce before the agreement was final (and, according to Patrick Jephson, accidentally losing her HRH because she forgot to put it in the statement and didn’t consult her staff or lawyers).

I don't know how they are going to pull off being "financially independent." The only way that would truly happen is if Meghan and Harry get "real jobs." Meghan, in my opinion, isn't that good of an actress. But, she will likely got jobs because of being married to Harry.

As for Harry, he didn't do that well in school. He has volunteered for charities Diana cared about. But, he doesn't have any work experience outside of that. Meghan will be able to get work as an actress easily, but Harry won't be able to. I hope that Harry really listens to his father, brother and grandmother before letting this take into effect. 

[Topaz]

IF they genuinely want to step away from  public life and live and work as private citizens, maybe joining the royal family for big events like weddings or trooping the colour (like the Gloucester and Kent children and grandchildren) then fair enough and good luck to them.

However it doesn’t sound like that’s what they’re doing. They are talking about a media policy and charity work. That suggests to me a pretty public profile. The reason that they have that public profile is because they are part of the BRF. Sounds like they want the perks of being royal without the duties. 
The media attention must be hard to deal with but saying “hey look at us, we’re famous people doing high profile things but not because we’re royal” isn’t going to change the way the media go after them so this isn’t going to solve what has been portrayed as their biggest struggle.

I’m curious to see how the finances work out. If they are not working royals then I (a British taxpayer) had better not be funding them. They might continue to get money from the Duchy of Cornwall for now (there is no income associated with their title but for how long?

Charles won’t have that income for much longer - when he becomes king William will automatically become Duke of Cornwall and the income will be his. It sounds like Harry and Meghan haven’t just burned a bridge, they’ve set Tower Bridge and London Bridge burning down and left the Cambridges in the lurch as they’ll have to pick up a much greater workload when we lose the older generation. William may not be too amenable to supporting his brother under those circumstances. And even if he does, Charles isn’t a young man. In 10 years or so the Duchy of Cornwall could be George’s, presumably administered by trustees if he’s still a minor, and it’s even less likely, or appropriate, that he should be supporting his uncle’s family.

TL;DR if they want a private life I wish them well but currently I have serious doubts.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Topaz
Correcting punctuation

[HerNameIsBuffy]

10 minutes ago, dawbs said:

In some ways, I think thet can't win.

I'm not a royals watcher (not even CLOSE) but their options are...what?

1-Keep doing what they're doing and deal with the scrutiny and the things that REALLY (reasonably, imo) suck about being royal

2-step back. Which is what it sounds like they're trying to do

3-is there a 3? Become regular Joe's with jobs? Instagram influencers? Recluses?

 

They might be expected to do it with more grace, but this is such uncharted territory (yes, I know, king whats-his-head did it. But that was pre-social-media) that i think its bound to cause bumps.

I hope they truly get out.

 

I agree..I'm always surprised to read here that some think they have an obligation to go along with their family rules even when stifling and making them so unhappy.

IMO getting out and living their own lives is a good thing, and with that come mistakes and scrutiny.  And being financially self-sufficient, fwiw I don't think any of these people should be getting a dime of taxpayer money.  

I just see parallels with the fundy families and rules, etc and no one says anyone has an obligation to keep in line with the family.