Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Gave 1 Huge Hint About Leaving the Royal Family Long Before They Stepped Down
For those who live under a rock, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, dropped jaws around the world on January 8 when they basically announced they’re leaving the royal family. OK, they’re not totally leaving, but they are going to “step back” as senior royals and now split their time between the United Kingdom and North America.
Though the announcement came as a shock to some, to others, it wasn’t that surprising. In fact, Harry and Meghan gave a major hint a while back that they wouldn’t last long in the world’s most famous family.
Harry and Meghan are starting 2020 with a bang
New year, new me — that seems to be the phrase Harry and Meghan want to live by. The royal couple shocked fans around the world (even though we actually all saw it coming) when they announced on January 8 that they will “step back” as senior members of the royal family. The couple announced via Instagram that, after giving the idea a lot of thought, they want to now take a smaller royal role and split their time between the United Kingdom and North America. Harry and Meghan also said they plan to seek financial independence.
The two are essentially paid to be royals, so seeking financial independence would allow them to leave the family entirely, should they choose.
There have been rumors about the couple leaving the family for a while
For some, the announcement came as a massive shock. But for others, it was totally predictable. Meghan and Harry have had a hard time in the royal spotlight ever since they wed. The British public hasn’t taken a liking to Meghan, and it’s made it difficult for her and Harry to live in such an intense spotlight. Plus, Harry was never crazy about being a royal. He’s always disliked the spotlight, and he realized this during his mother’s funeral back in 1997. For those who follow the family closely, the writing was on the wall.
They gave a major hint about their future plans when they named their son
Harry and Meghan hinted that they would be leaving the royal family back when they welcomed their first child in May 2019. The two chose not to give Archie a royal title, and at the time, people were surprised. But omitting royalty from Archie’s name was only setting the stage for the two to omit royalty from his entire upbringing. It’s been made clear that they want to raise Archie as a private citizen, but at the time, people didn’t realize that it’s likely because they were planning to leave the family in some capacity later on.
It’s unclear if the two will eventually leave the family entirely
Right now, Meghan and Harry are planning to remain royals, but they want to take a step back. However, once Harry gets even more of a taste of living a normal life, the two might opt to exit the family entirely. If they can become financially independent, which they plan to, there would be no reason to remain a legal part of the royal family (of course, Harry will always be related by blood). It’s tough to say right now what their definitive plans are, but the public will certainly learn in time.
