Prince Harry & Meghan Markle to Spend Most of Their Time in North America After New Agreement: Source
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be spending more time out of the U.K. after reaching an agreement with Queen Elizabeth about their next steps.
The couple is likely to be spending most of their time in North America, a royal source tells PEOPLE after the Queen’s historic announcement on Saturday.
The source adds that Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, may have some official duties in the coming months that will keep them in the U.K. before the new changes agreed upon go into effect this spring.
“There has been an acceptance about what the couple wants to achieve and a desire to come up with a new way of working and supporting them in that,” the source says. “The issues are complicated but aides believe that the announcement meets the Queen and the family’s wish for a speedy resolution.”
In the statement on Saturday, Queen Elizabeth announced that she and her family had “found a constructive and supportive way forward” after Harry and Meghan’s recent decision to step down as senior members of the royal family.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family,” the Queen’s statement said. “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.”
A separate statement from Buckingham Palace explained the details of Harry and Meghan’s next steps, and revealed that the new changes will take effect in Spring 2020.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are grateful to Her Majesty and the Royal Family for their ongoing support as they embark on the next chapter of their lives. As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments,” the statement said, before revealing that Harry and Meghan will “no longer receive public funds” and will be giving up their HRH titles.
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In Harry and Meghan’s original statement announcing they were stepping back as senior members of the royal family, the couple said that they planned to “balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America.”
The pair have yet to reveal where they’ll move to in North America. They could choose Vancouver Island in Canada, where they spent several weeks over the holiday season with baby Archie and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
There is also the possibility of Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles or even Toronto, where she lived for several years while she filmed her hit show Suits.
