Prince Harry Just Ticked Off His Final Royal Engagement
Prince Harry might have carried out his final royal engagement as a senior member of the royal family.
On Tuesday, the royal was seen arriving in Vancouver, to be reunited with his wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie. The Duchess of Sussex returned to Canada following the couple’s official visit to Canada House in London earlier this month, before jetting back across the Atlantic where the family had been staying for six weeks.
On Monday, the Duke attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London with Boris Johnson and other world leaders. It is believed that the summit may have marked Harry’s final official royal engagement, after confirming that he and Meghan were stepping back from their royal roles.
The visit was followed by a reception hosted by Prince William and Kate Middleton at Buckingham Palace, which the Duke of Sussex chose not to attend, opting instead to catch a flight to Vancouver.
During a private dinner the capital for his charity Sentebale on Sunday night, Harry explained to attendees of his and Meghan's decision: "We both do everything we can to fly the flag and carry out our roles for this country with pride.
"Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hopeful, and we were here to serve. For these reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this."
The Duke added that the decision to step down as "senior" members of the royal family was not made "lightly".
"It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges," he said. "And I know I haven't always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option."
The previous night, Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement confirming that terms for the next phase of the Duke and Duchess’ life together had finally been agreed after much deliberation.
"Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family," the statement, published on royal.uk, reads.
"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.
"I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life."
On January 8, Harry and Meghan announced that they intended to step back from the royal family and wished to change how they represent the British monarchy as ambassadors, revealing that they wanted to become financially independent.
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST
Since agreeing on the new terms of their involvement in the royal family, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple will no longer use their HRH titles and will not receive public funds for royal duties. The pair also intend to repay £2.4m of taxpayer money for the refurbishment of their Windsor base, Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home.
The new arrangement will come into effect in spring this year, the palace stated.
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