Meghan and Harry latest – Couple QUIT royal duties for good and 'belittled' family with statement that 'lacked love'
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry have officially quit the Royal Family following their 12-month Megxit review, Buckingham Palace announced.
Both parties released a statement on the development, and royal author Phil Dampier said the Sussexes’ statement "belittled the royal family" and "lacked love".
Phil, author of Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, told Fabulous: “Harry and Meghan's statement seemed to lack any love or compassion, which is very sad.
“While the Queen wants to leave the door open and generously hasn't stripped them of their royal titles, they have given nothing in return.
“The tone of Harry and Meghan’s press release is quite pointed.
“By saying ‘we can all live a life of service – service is universal,’ they are belittling the work of the Queen and the rest of the royal family."
Follow our Harry and Meghan live blog below for the very latest news and gossip about the royal couple…
- Becky Pemberton
RIFT BETWEEN HARRY AND FAMILY WILL GROW AFTER PARTING STATEMENT
Just moments after Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple would be officially stepping down, Harry and pregnant Meghan released a short statement saying they would "remain committed" to the UK.
Phil Dampier, author of Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, pointed out that while the Queen’s message was "generous" towards the Sussexes, their reply "lacked compassion", and didn’t mention the family at all.
Phil told Fabulous: “They don’t seem to care that they are making matters worse and that the rifts are likely to get wider.
Harry and Meghan's statement seemed to lack any love or compassion, which is very sad.
“While the Queen wants to leave the door open and generously hasn't stripped them of their royal titles, they have given nothing in return."
- Carly Bass
MEG AND HARRY 'HONOURED AND PROUD' OF PATRONAGES THEY'VE REPRESENTED
Harry and Meghan are walking away from royal patronages they once said they were “honoured and proud” to represent.
Sources said the Sussexes had – “absolutely, no question” – wanted to retain the positions but ultimately chose to give them up for life in California.
Just last year Harry told of his “exceptional pride” at being Captain General of the Royal Marines.
He later told the unit’s head, Major General Matthew Holmes: “I am so proud to have served as captain and devastated that I have to step down. I feel I’m letting people down, but I had no choice.”
Meghan loses her patronage of the Royal National Theatre. It said it was “very grateful” for her help championing its work with communities and young people.
undefined - Carly Bass
MEG WAS 'NOT INVOLVED IN MEGXIT TALKS'
MEGHAN Markle wasn't involved in talks that led to her and Prince Harry being stripped of their honorary titles by the Queen, a Palace statement suggests.
The Queen said she was "saddened" after her grandson and the Duchess of Sussex confirmed they would not be returning as working members of the Royal Family.
Today's announcement from the Palace refers to "conversations with The Duke", suggesting Meghan, 39, wasn't involved in the Megxit talks.
It's reported that the Palace entered final talks with Harry, 36, this week.
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- Carly Bass
HARRY AND MEG 'PREACH KINDNESS' SO USE THAT TO 'BUILD BRIDGES', SAYS LORRAINE KELLY
Writing for The Sun, Lorraine Kelly said: "Instead of the royals shaking in their shoes and global gossips salivating at the prospect of juicy revelations when Oprah Winfrey meets Meghan, how about we turn it on its head?
"After all, Harry and Meghan preach kindness and understanding, so why don’t they use this extremely high-profile, 90-minute interview as a way to rebuild bridges and mend broken fences."
- Carly Bass
HARRY AND MEG TAKE DIG AT QUEEN
Her Majesty said Meghan and Harry could not continue with “responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service”.
The pair hit back saying: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had wanted to keep representing their military, Commonwealth and other royal patronages — while making millions from private deals.
Credit: Getty Images – Getty But the Queen — advised by senior courtiers and after talks with Princes William and Charles — stood firm.
Yesterday the pair — who will still keep their royal titles — were accused of sticking up two fingers to the Queen with their statement.
Senior royals were said to be furious after the couple’s swipe at Her Majesty and the Royal Family.
- Carly Bass
MEG AND HARRY STAYED IN OPRAH'S £80 MILLION MANSION
Harry and Meghan secretly stayed at Oprah Winfrey’s £80million mansion before buying their Californian home.
They are said to have been at the US chatshow host’s sprawling house in Montecito, Santa Barbara, so they could get a feel for the area before moving into a property nearby.
Last night a source said: “Oprah has been incredibly supportive since the couple moved Stateside.
“She specifically helped out Meghan’s mum, Doria, and gave some really helpful and practical advice in dealing with all the attention.
undefined “She also lives in super-exclusive Montecito and recommended it to the couple.
"When they were renting, she offered them use of her massive mansion so they could get a proper feel for the place — and just hide out discreetly, away from prying eyes.
“It’s little wonder they’ve entrusted her with their first major interview since quitting the Royal Family.
“This is a huge coup for Oprah and she’s understandably delighted.”
- Carly Bass
MEG AND HARRY 'CROSSED RED LINE' AND QUEEN TRIED TO 'PROTECT ROYAL FAMILY AND AVOID IT BEING TAINTED'
Royal expert Angela Levin describes the Queen as a "patient woman" but said that her sense of duty came before her grandson.
She said: "The Queen as we know is devoted to her duty and to her country – she loves her children and being a grandmother.
"But in the end her sense of duty is more important than grandchildren or children or great grandchildren."
Angela said the palace became concerned over how "increasingly escapist" Harry and Meghan had become.
"[The Queen] doesn't want the royal family's name to be tainted in that way and this, I think, crossed the red line," she said.
undefined - Carly Bass
OPRAH CAN ASK COUPLE “ANYTHING SHE WANTS” IN TELL-ALL INTERVIEW
Oprah can ask the Sussexes “anything she wants” during the “intimate” interview, it has been revealed.
The talk show titan’s best friend Gayle King discussed the highly-anticipated interview on CBS This Morning and hinted it will take place soon.
“This is a big deal!” she said.
“I know Oprah has been working on the questions all weekend long, I’m told that nothing is off-limits. She can ask anything she wants.”
- Carly Bass
HARRY AND MEGHAN PLANNING TELL-ALL DOCUMENTARY WITH NETFLIX
Royal author Robert Lacey told Sky News that "there will definitely be at least one documentary to come from Netflix" detailing the Sussexes' life in the Royal Family.
He said: "I would go easy there on the idea of a tell-all interview with Oprah. I think they won't be telling all to Oprah.
"They have signed a contract with Netflix, which is bigger than their friendship with Oprah Winfrey.
undefined "As I understand it, there will definitely be at least one documentary to come from Netflix in which they will talk about things like the wedding, what it meant to them, and also why they moved on from this to what they want to do.
"Maybe they arranged the interview so they could say what they wanted to say before the palace did."
- Carly Bass
MEG AND HARRY 'SHOULD BE STRIPPED OF HRH TITLES LIKE DIANA'
When Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles in 1981, the new Royal wife became known as Her Royal Highness – but following her divorce from Prince Charles, her title changed to Diana, Princess of Wales.
Norman Baker, a member of Her Majesty's Privy Council, and author of And What Do You Do? – What The Royal Family Don't Want You To Know, told The Sun: "This is the right decision, both for the royal family and for the couple themselves.
"It is simply not possible to straddle the divide and be sometimes in and sometimes out, depending on what you want to do at any given moment. I wish them well going forward.
And added: "But the logic of this decision means that the pair should also now lose their HRH status, as Harry's mother did when she divorced.
"If they keep it, they will remain entitled to run up bills at public expense, and the suspicion will be that any money-making activity they embark upon will be trading on the HRH label."
- Carly Bass
MEGHAN'S CO-STAR PATRICK J. ADAMS OPENS UP ABOUT THEIR 'CLOSE RELATIONSHIP'
Before she married into the Royal Family, Meghan Markle was best known for her role as paralegal Rachel Zane in the hit US legal drama Suits.
Rachel's love interest in the show Mike was played by Patrick J. Adams – who attended the Royal Wedding in April 2018 with his wife Troian Bellisario.
Discussing his relationship with Meghan, Patrick told the Hollywood Reporter in 2018: "In some ways, Meghan and I were the closest because we were the youngest people in the cast and both came in with the least experience.
"We grew up together over the course of the show."
- Carly Bass
MEG AND HARRY 'THUMBING THEIR NOSE AT THE QUEEN'
BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchel appeared on BBC News to discuss the the announcement made today about Harry and Meghan not returning to royal life.
He said: "There's almost an unspoken sentence which doesn't appear in the statement after that, 'a life of public service like I have led, like my husband has led at the age of nearly 100, like the rest of your family continue to lead, but which you have decided to opt out of.'"
He continued: "Of course they're saddened as the statement says, they're deeply disappointed I think that this is how matters have turned out.
"And then the Sussex' statement, which concludes with these couple of phrases, 'We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.'
"Isn't there a sense there of thumbing their noses…'Don't tell us how to lead our lives'…So I think on both sides, Harry I think will now perhaps finally realise the implications of the decision that they have taken."
- Carly Bass
'WE CAN ALL LIVE A LIFE OF SERVICE'
Just moments after Buckingham Palace said the couple would be officially stepping down, Harry and pregnant Meghan released a statement saying they would "remain committed" to the UK.
A spokesperson for the couple said: "As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role.
"We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."
undefined - Carly Bass
THIS IS THE £19 PRODUCT MEG USES TO LOOK MORE AWAKE
The duchess has opted for a nude-tone of eye pencil instead of her trademark dark eyeliner, make-up expert Francesca Abrahamovitch told the Daily Mail.
And Charlotte Tilbury sells the perfect one for just £19.
And she's been applying it just below her lower waterline, which can make anyone look like they've had a full eight hours sleep (sounds like magic to us).
Francesca said: "If you still want smoulder, smudge your dark pencil below it.
"As long as you steer clear of that all-important waterline, you'll maintain the eye-brightening illusion."
undefined - Carly Bass
MEGHAN 'DISAPPOINTED TO LOSE PATRONAGES' AND THOUGHT THEY COULD 'QUIT ROYAL LIFE BUT KEEP THEM'
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were officially stripped of their royal patronages today, with Her Majesty said to be "saddened" by the move.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple will no longer hold their formal positions with a range of military, arts, Commonwealth and sporting organisations.
But the decision is said to have come as a bitter blow to Harry and Meghan who, despite wanting to remain in the US for personal and financial freedom, believed they could still represent the public-facing bodies.
A royal source told the PA news agency they had "absolutely, no question" they wanted to retain the positions they had lost.
"They do respect the decision but they always made clear they were committed to doing the roles," the source added.
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- Carly Bass
MEGHAN MARKLE HAD TO 'REINVENT HERSELF' BEFORE MARRYING INTO ROYAL FAMILY
Before she married into the Royal Family, Meghan Markle was most famous for her role in Suits.
Speaking ahead of the Royal Family in 2018, royal expert Victoria Murphy claimed the former actress would have to "reinvent herself".
The expert said: "She has had a long time to have an independent life to forge her own opinions, and she has very much made a career of promoting herself – of putting herself forward.
undefined "She had an Instagram account, and she's been very open and outspoken about a lot of things. And these are things that are going to have to change."
"It does feel like a need for a bit of reinvention really, she is really kind of parking what she's done before and moving herself into her new role."
- Olivia Burke
WHAT A WEEK THE SUSSEXES ARE HAVING
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are shaping up to have quite the eventful week.
On February 15, the couple announced they were expecting their second child by sharing adorable photographs of Meghan cradling her bump while resting her head on Harry.
Today, Buckingham Palace officially announced the departure of the Duke and Duchess. Both of the pair have lost their Royal patronages as a result.
- Olivia Burke
NEW BABY NAME ODDS GET A ROYAL SHAKE UP
Odds on the name of Meghan and Harry's second change have seen a major reshuffle in recent days – with new entrant Allegra swooping straight into third place.
The unusual new entry comes in at 11/1 and is third favourite.
Kamala has been slashed from 100/1 into 16/1 joint fifth favourite in the past two days with Betfair after a flurry of bets.
Arthur & Diana are still the 10/1 joint favourites, with Thomas, Albert, and Isabella all close behind at 12/1.
Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: "Whether the couple will veer away from traditional names and take inspiration from the new US Vice-President Kamala Harris remains to be seen – but after they chose Archie for their firstborn, a name that wasn't even on our list, anything is possible."
- Olivia Burke
INVICTUS GAMES PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR PRINCE
Prince Harry's creation, The Invictus Games, released a statement proudly confirming he would remain its patron.
As it is not a royal role, he was able to keep hold of this title.
The statement read, "We are proud to have The Duke of Sussex as our Patron.
"The Invictus Games was founded by him, it has been built on his ideas and he remains fully committed to both the Games and to the Invictus Games Foundation."
- Olivia Burke
HARRY LOST LONDON MARATHON CHARITABLE TRUST PATRONAGE
Prince Harry is no longer a patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.
He held the position was for nine years and renewed the mandatory three-year term twice.
After it came to an end in January, the decision was made not to renew the patronage.
- Olivia Burke
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "crossed a red line" deciding to leave the Royal family, forcing the Queen to"protect the royal family and avoid it being tainted," an expert has claimed.
Angela Levin said: "The Queen as we know is devoted to her duty and to her country – she loves her children and being a grandmother.
"But in the end, her sense of duty is more important than grandchildren or children or great-grandchildren. I'm not in the least surprised. I think there's been a lot of rumours that the Queen would do this."
Levin claimed Harry and Meghan's "increasingly escapist" tendencies raised concerns at the Palace.
"She wants to keep them close as a family, but they cannot push their luck too far."
- Olivia Burke
WHAT DO HARRY AND MEGHAN KEEP?
Prince Harry still retains the private patronages or presidencies for charities including African Parks, Dolen Cymru, the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, Invictus Games, MapAction, Rhino Conservation Botswana charity, Sentebale, and WellChild.
Meghan keeps hold of her two private patronages, Smart Works and the animal charity Mayhew.
It is not clear who will be gifted their previous titles.
- Olivia Burke
"NO QUESTION" HARRY AND MEG WANTED TO KEEP TITLES
Prince Harry and Meghan "absolutely" wanted to keep their former titles and there was "no question" otherwise, a source told PA.
“They do respect the decision but they always made clear they were committed to doing the roles,” the source said.
The couple has, "offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role," the Sussexes spokesperson said.
- Olivia Burke
THE NATIONAL THEATRE STATEMENT
One of Meghan's former patronages, The National Theatre, thanked her for "championing" its work with communities and young people across the UK.
It tweeted "The National Theatre is very grateful for the support offered by the Duchess of Sussex throughout the course of her patronage.
"The duchess championed our work with communities and young people across the UK, and our mission to make theatre accessible to all.
"As Buckingham Palace have stated, the process of appointing a new patron is ongoing and will be announced in due course."
- Olivia Burke
QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH TRUST STATEMENT
The Queen's Commonwealth Trust – only founded in 2018 – of which the duke and duchess were president and vice-president respectively said it was "lucky" to have had their support.
The trust said in a statement: "The Queen's Commonwealth Trust exists to support young people around the world who are delivering practical help to those who need it most.
"We have been very lucky to have had the keen support and encouragement of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in our formative years.
"They have enabled us to make fast progress and have helped us to take the organisation to readiness for its next phase.
"We are glad that they remain in our circle of supporters."
It added: "Our focus, as always, is on the young people we work alongside. We will be pressing on with vigour to help them reach even more people with the essential services they provide."
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