(Prince) Harry has made some solo appearances since stepping down, but the Edeavour Awards marks his first photographed event with Markle. (The two reportedly attended a J.P. Morgan event in February, but that was never confirmed by the Sussexes.)
This is the first of several royal engagements Meghan Markle and (Prince) Harry will have while in London. The last one will be the annual Commonwealth Day next Monday, March 9, where they’ll join Queen Elizabeth II along with Prince Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
As you know by now, Markle and (Prince) Harry are splitting their time between North America and the U.K. after announcing in January they’d be stepping back from the royal family. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” they wrote on Instagram at the time.
The post continued, “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”
We can’t wait to see what else comes from this mini royal engagement tour in London.
And if you can’t get enough of Markle’s look, shop similar options below.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s decision to “step back” as senior royals shocked the world over the last few days. But amid the whirlwind, the Duchess of Sussex made some time for an engagement. On Tuesday, January 14, she paid a visit to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. The organization shared that Markle had tea with members and discussed several issues affecting the community.
The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, which provides a safe space for women while creating social programs, advocacy, and support, shared the news with a photo of Markle smiling next to several women. “Look who we had tea with today! The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, visited us today to discuss issues affecting women in the community,” the center wrote on Facebook.
Both Markle and Prince Harry have had a lot going on since issuing a statement that explained they hope to transition into new roles in the royal family and establish financial independence. On Monday, January 13, Prince Harry made his way back to London for a meeting convened with the Queen, in which they reportedly discussed details of what the new set-up might look like. That day, the Queen broke her silence on the situation. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” she said. “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
She added that Markle and Prince Harry will split their time between Canada and the U.K., and it seems that engagements like visiting the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre are all part of what the couple has envisioned in their new arrangement. They’ve said they want to keep working on the charities and public issues they’ve been championing, so Markle surely has more events like this in her future.
There has been much speculation about who knew what and when, what their futures will look like as they work to become “financially independent,” and, of course, why this is happening at all. In a new People story, a friend of the couple says, “If relationships had been better, things would have been different.”
“This is not how they wanted to handle this, but Meghan and Harry’s hand was forced,” the friend continued. “There is so much bad blood in that family—it’s toxic.” (The person did not call out any specific members of the royal family by name.) Another source told People that the negative press left Markle, in particular, “deeply, deeply hurt.”
“Meghan and Harry didn’t feel they got enough comfort or solace from them,” the source also said.
Whatever is actually going on inside the family is hard for anyone to guess. But we do know Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry joined the queen at Sandringham yesterday for a summit to discuss solutions and possible plans for the Sussex’s future. Ahead of the meeting, the brothers released a joint statement condemning a story that stated William had “bullied” Prince Harry and Markle out of the family. “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex & The Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful,” the statement read.
Queen Elizabeth also emphasized family in her statement yesterday after the meeting. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family,” she said.
It’s expected that decisions surrounding what Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s future will look like will be made quickly, per the queen’s request. As for the complicated family stuff, that may take longer.
Yesterday (January 8), Meghan Markle and Prince Harry dropped a bombshell announcement on their Instagram feed: they’re planning to step down from their roles as “senior” royals and work to become “financially independent.”
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” they wrote.
The world was shocked by the decision, and according to reports, so was Prince Harry’s family—including Queen Elizabeth. Palace aides told Vanity Fair that senior royals were “hurt” and “devastated” by the decision to make the announcement without going through proper channels. And, reportedly, Prince Harry’s relationship with his grandmother (and boss) has been strained for some time.
“Things have been quite difficult since the wedding,” a source told Vanity Fair. “The Queen has been rather hurt by some of Harry’s actions particularly around the time of the wedding. She feels she has done everything to smooth the path for them but this could well be the last straw.”
There are still about a million questions as to how this will all work, and based on Buckingham Palace’s statement, those decisions have not necessarily been made yet. “Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work though,” it said.
“Nothing has been ruled in or out, it’s too early to say, but it is hard to have an HRH title while working on a commercial basis if that’s what they plan to do,” a source toldVF.
What we do know for sure is that this situation is quite involved, and we likely won’t have a clear picture of what Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s new life will really look like any time soon.
Their move, of course, throws up SO. MANY. QUESTIONS. a great number of which we answer right here. But as the newly-resident Brit in the Glamour US offices (I’m Glamour’s new Executive Editor) —and Harry and Meghan superfan (yeah, AND?), I’ve taken it upon myself to attempt to answer the many other BURNING H&M questions that came tumbling out in the immediate aftermath. Here goes:
1. Does this mean Meghan can do SmartWater #sponcon?
Well, technically, probably yes. They have committed to extricating themselves from the shackles and limitations of being a “senior Royals”—thus giving up the Sovereign Grant which pays them around $2.5 million a year—meaning Meghan and Harry should be able to undertake work like any other civilian/Instagram influencer with over 10 million followers. Harry’s first cousins Princess’ Eugenie and Beatrice have both held down jobs—in an art gallery and at a technology firm respectively—while also retaining their Royal titles. And Zara Tindall, another of Harry’s first cousins who actually doesn’t have a Royal title, is not just a celebrated athlete but also a paid ambassador for global brands including Range Rover motors and iCandy strollers. As bonafide influencers in a digital age, don’t be surprised if they pop up as ambassadors for brands that align with their own goals. But lucrative speaking engagements might just be their first (slightly less controversial) port of call.
2. How does Kate REALLY feel about it?
Sadly, just because I have British blood does not mean I have a hotline to our Queen-in-waiting. Current British media speculation has William and Kate as blindsided as Queen Elizabeth. While Harry alluded to some tensions between himself and William in a recently televised interview with television presenter Tom Bradby, the issues were believed to have been mostly between the brothers. Kate also reportedly expressed her wish that her children and their cousin Archie could spend more time together, so it’s unlikely she’ll be celebrating H&M’s upcoming decampment abroad.
3. WTF does “work to become financially independent” mean?
“Granny’s no longer paying for us, but dad’s still giving me an allowance.” Plus, oh, that inheritance in the bank. Oh and Meghan’s fortune from her time on Suits. #prayforthesussexes
4. What are people in the U.K. saying about this? Do they actually care at all?
Yes we do! More than is rationally normal, especially for a family WE DO NOT KNOW and who, as is made more than regularly clear to us, DON’T REALLY WANT US TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM EITHER. Mainly, millennials and gen-Zers supports their decision. Frankly, wouldn’t we all want the profile and the Instagram followers, without having to censor our thoughts and tailor our lifestyles to the whims of a bunch of pale, stale, and male Royal officials? We’ve seen how Meghan and Harry have tried to modernize their roles to ones that reflect the lives and habits of their peers—and they’ve been faced with non-stop offensive, sexist, and racist criticism. But those Brits with a more traditional take don’t like the fact that Harry and Meghan have deserted their Queen and want to live life on their terms. They believe that the couple have a duty to share their lives and family in return for their lifestyle. I say, go your own way.
5. Will The Tig come back? (BRING BACK THE TIG.)
Good question, but sadly unlikely. However, since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have actually patented the Sussex brand for a news publication or website as well as even t-shirts and merchandise, expect sussexroyal.com to become more editorialized. The Tig 2.0, if you will.
6. Who gets Sussex? Do they keep Sussex? Did she legally change her name?
As Buckingham Palace have suggested in their statement, all of these details are still to be worked out. We, however, have a different suggestion. Harry Markle has got quite a ring to it, dont’cha think?
Natasha Pearlman is the executive editor at Glamour. Follow her on Twitter @tashpearlman.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made headlines on January 8, when they announced they would be stepping back as “senior members” of the royal family. They released a joint statement that explained their reasoning, but there are still plenty of questions about the decision, what it means, and what the Sussex name will look like moving forward.
According to a joint statement the couple posted on Instagram, their decision to create some space as members of the royal family came after lots of careful consideration. They said they still plan to “fully support Her Majesty The Queen” while also separating themselves financially from the institution. The situation is complex and details are still unclear, but here’s what we do know so far.
Their statement:
The statement that the couple posted on Instagram reads, “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
The reasoning:
It’s unclear why, exactly, they’re taking a step back. While the announcement came as a surprise, there has been plenty of speculation that something like this might be happening. Markle and Prince Harry have each dealt with serious tabloid and media scrutiny. It got so bad, in fact, that they made the decision to pursue legal action against several U.K. publications last year.
They opened up about some of the struggles they’ve faced in the documentary Harry and Meghan: An Africa Journey. “I don’t think anybody could understand that, but in all fairness, I had no idea—which probably sounds difficult to understand here—but when I first met my now husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friend said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great, but you shouldn’t do it, because the British tabloids will destroy your life.’ And I very naively…we’re American, we don’t have that there, ‘What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not in tabloids!’ I didn’t get it. So yeah, it’s been complicated,” she said in the film.
She added later, “I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip.’ I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging—and the biggest thing I know is that I never thought this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair, and that’s the part that’s really hard to reconcile. I don’t know, just take each day as it comes.”
