The "hard Megxit" announced by Queen Elisabeth II, greeted this Sunday by the British tabloids, forces Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to renounce their title of royal highness as some of their income and leads the royal family to tighten its links around a small core. In an unusual statement that ended ten days of crisis, the Queen said on Saturday that "the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer use their title of Royal Highness since they are no longer active members of the Royal family ".
A statement from Her Majesty The Queen.https: //t.co/ZAPC5ARUup
- The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 18, 2020Despite this announcement, Elisabeth II appeared smiling this Sunday, alongside her second son Prince Andrew, in a church in Norfolk (east of England) where she attended the religious service. It was his first public appearance since the shock announcement on January 8 of Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, who wanted to gain independence and settle in North America with their son Archie.
Prince Harry demoted
Now released from their "royal obligations", the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could no longer "formally represent the Queen". The tabloids, who accused them of "wanting their cake and eat it too" while still keeping a foothold in the royal family, an unprecedented status, unanimously welcomed this decision.
It is an "undeniably radical agreement", judged the Daily Telegraph . The Sunday Mirror welcomed on the front page that "the queen orders a hard Megxit", in reference to the Brexit scheduled for January 31. The couple's stormy relationship with British newspapers weighed in their decision to withdraw. Accused of racism towards the Métis American actress, the sensation press regularly attacked Meghan with vitriolic articles, decking her out with the nickname of "capricious duchess".
For the protocol expert of the royal family Alastair Bruce, questioned by the Sun , the abandonment of the title of royal highness amounts to "an abdication". He notes that Harry finds himself demoted to the same rank as thirty other British dukes.
Return the money harry
If the couple retains his title of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, he however renounces his royal allowance and will have to reimburse certain public expenses from which he benefited, in particular the 2 million pounds (2.3 million euros) used to renovate the Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, his place of residence in the United Kingdom.
"This is absolutely unprecedented," said former royal press secretary Sun Dickie Arbiter, noting that "no member of the royal family has ever repaid money," even those who before Harry , had already been deprived of their royal highness status. Before the young prince, sixth in the order of succession to the British throne, his mother Lady Diana had indeed also lost this status after having divorced Prince Charles in 1996. Just like Sarah Ferguson, when she separated from the Prince Andrew.
But these were "honorary titles" obtained through marriage. It is however the very first time that a member of the Windsor family by birth has been deprived of this status. While many commentators draw a parallel with the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936, who by marrying a divorced American had renounced the throne, the latter had in fact not lost his title, seeing himself simply demoted from "His Majesty the King "to" His Royal Majesty the Duke of Windsor ".
A turning point in the history of this family
The decision of Queen Elisabeth II thus marks a turning point in the history of one of the oldest British institutions, opening an era of new functioning tightened around its nuclear members.
From an emotional point of view, "Harry, Meghan and Archie will remain very dear members of my family", however underlined Elisabeth II. The Queen's "warm" message shows "a grandmother's affection for her grandson," said Alastair Bruce, but "at the same time, she dealt with an iron fist typical of authority." monarchical this problem which had to be regulated ”.
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