Amidst the chaos of what is now being termed as 'Megxit', Thomas Markle, Meghan Markle's estranged father said that his daughter has 'cheapened the Royals' by splitting away from the family and that she was 'tossing away every girl's dream'.
“It's disappointing because she actually got every girl's dream. Every young girl wants to become a princess and she got that and now she's tossing that away, for, it looks like she's tossing that away for money,” Thomas Markle said in an interview. He added that the couple might be turning into 'lost souls'. Thomas Markle described the royal family as “one of the greatest long-living institutions ever”, saying that when Meghan married Harry in May 2018 they took an obligation “to be part of the royals and to represent the royals”.
Prince Harry announced late last night about how giving up the royal title brings him sadness as it was something he grew up with. The Prince, however, also emphasised that it was the right decision for the sake of his wife and their family.
The Buckingham Palace in a statement said that the couple intends to repay UK taxpayer the 2.4 million pounds ($ 3.1 million) of taxpayer's money spent on renovating their Frogmore Cottage home near Windsor Castle. The Frogmore Cottage will remain their UK family home as they split their time between Britain and Canada.
UK PM Boris Johnson said on Sunday, "I think the whole country will want to join in wishing them the very best for the future."
"For those reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this," Harry said at a fund-raising event in London for Sentebale, a charity which he co-founded to help children living with HIV in Africa.
"Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. I've accepted this, knowing that it doesn't change who I am or how committed I am," he said of the couple's decision to step down as senior members of the Royal family, a decision they made on January 8 via their official Instagram account.
Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, have signed up to a formal exit deal from the royal family, which will see them forsake their His and Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles and will no longer receive UK taxpayers' funding for their duties, the Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Saturday night. The couple, will from now on be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The deal, which comes into effect by spring in a few weeks, means the couple will no longer be representing the Queen in an official capacity.
Harry said "there really was no other option" for him and Meghan to step back from being a senior royal and they have taken "a leap of faith" in doing so.
"We are taking a leap of faith...thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step," he said.
However, the prince said he wanted to make it clear that he and Meghan were "not walking away", the CNN reported.
"I was born into this life and it is a great honour to serve my country and the Queen," he said.
"The UK is my home and a place that I love, that will never change," Harry added.
The couple announced that they will split their time between the UK and North America with their son Archie.
On January 13, after face-to-face talks with her grandson and senior members of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth II agreed to offer Harry and Meghan a "period of transition" during which the couple can divide their time between the UK and Canada.
The Queen said the agreement was a "constructive and supportive" way forward for her grandson and his family.
"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family," the 93-year-old monarch's statement read, adding that she understood the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny.
She added a special message for Meghan, which read, "I 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".
The palace confirmed that the couple were required to withdraw from royal duties, including official military appointments.
"While they can no longer formally represent the Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty," the palace said.
It added that the pair would continue to maintain their private patronages and associations.
The palace has declined to comment on security arrangements and who would foot that bill for the couple in future, an issue that has been at the centre of much of the debate since they announced their decision to step back as senior royals earlier this month.
Harry and Meghan have issued their update on their official Sussex Royal website, which has been updated to remove references to the HRH titles on the opening page.
"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," the statement on their website reads.
Meghan is already in Canada with the couple's eight-month-old son Archie and some reports indicate she may fly back briefly for some pending royal engagements until the new agreement formally kicks in on an unspecified date in spring - which begins towards the end of March in the UK.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry will continue to perform royal duties until that time, which includes at a summit for African leaders in London on Monday.
Thomas Markle might testify in a UK newspaper case, that was launched by the former television star for alleged breach of privacy and copyright infringement after her father published extracts of a personal letter she sent him in August 2018. Meghan's lawyers allege misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.
