Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Had "No Other Option" Than to Step Down
Prince Harry gave a revealing speech at a charity event over the weekend, following news of his agreement to step down as a senior royal.
The Duke of Sussex spoke of his "great sadness" about stepping down, but explained, "there really was no other option."
Harry also made it clear, "we’re not walking away."
Over the weekend, news broke that the royal family had come to an agreement about the Sussexes stepping down. And on Sunday night, Prince Harry attended an event in honor of his charity, Sentebale, hosted by The Caring Foundation.
The prince gave an important speech at the event, which took place in London, and addressed his decision to step down from his role in the royal family. As well as noting his "great sadness" at no longer being based full-time in the United Kingdom, the Duke of Sussex also hinted that he'd tried to find the best solution.
Per Harry, "The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back, is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option."
He elaborated, explaining that he'd hoped to continue working in a bigger capacity within the royal family, whilst establishing financial independence. Per the prince, "What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you. Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible."
It seems that Harry and Meghan were looking for a new way forward as senior royals, in which they could continue with all of their official commitments, but without taking money from the crown. However, this wasn't possible, and the Sussexes are going in a new direction.
Despite the huge changes ahead, Harry told the crowd that he was ready for whatever challenges he faced. "I’ve accepted this, knowing that it doesn’t change who I am or how committed I am," he told the crowd. "But I hope that helps you understand what it had to come to, that I would step my family back from all I have ever known, to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life."
You Might Also Like
