What Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's New Roles in the British Commonwealth Look Like?

From Town & Country

In Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relatively short time as a working royal couple—which started after their May 2o18 wedding, and will end sometime this spring—they had begun to assume many responsibilities within "the firm."

This included taking on patronages, representing the Queen at events, traveling abroad for royal tours, and more. And as the Sussexes settled into their roles as senior royals, it didn't take long for royal watchers to understand that the Commonwealth would figure largely into their royal work.

Of course, now that Harry and Meghan are pursuing a life outside—but still tied to—the royal family, some of this will change. Buckingham Palace's recent statement, which outlines some basics about what Harry and Meghan's future will look like, makes it clear that they'll step back from some responsibilities with the Commonwealth—but it won't be as clean a break as some might have predicted.

Here, what we know about Harry and Meghan's future work with the Commonwealth.

First, for the uninitiated: what exactly is the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 sovereign states. Members include former British colonies, but not all countries in the Commonwealth were once colonies. The Queen is the institution's leader, and in April of 2018, Prince Charles was chosen as her successor in that symbolic role, though it is not a hereditary position.

Prior to stepping back from their royal roles, what work did Harry and Meghan do with the Commonwealth?

The Duke and Duchess were President and Vice President, respectively, of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust—an organization that supports youth empowerment in Commonwealth countries. When Meghan was announced as Vice President in March 2019, a statement from the Trust noted that she would "highlight the Trust's partnerships with young people across the Commonwealth, and in particular its work supporting women and girls."

Prince Harry was Commonwealth Youth Ambassador—a particularly important position in the organization, the Telegraph noted, as 60% of the populations in Commonwealth nations are under 30.

Meghan was also patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. When her role with the organization was announced a year ago, royal reporter Victoria Murphy explained to Town & Country that it had larger implications for Harry and Meghan's working relationship with the Commonwealth. "I think [Meghan's new patronage] also reflects the fact that she and Harry are going to have very prominent roles within the Commonwealth moving forward," Murphy said. "The Commonwealth is an institution that is very important to the royal family, and this patronage signifies to me that we can expect Meghan along with Harry to play a big role in that."

And what about now?

According to royal reporter Emily Andrews, Harry will no longer be Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. However, the couple will continue on as President and Vice President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust. Meghan will also keep the patronages she took on last year—which includes the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Interestingly, it does not seem that the Sussexes were keen to relinquish any leadership roles within the Commonwealth. On the website they launched shortly after announcing their intention to step back as senior royals, a large section is devoted to the Commonwealth. It mentions both their leadership roles in the Queen's Commonwealth Trust and Harry's position as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

The site will apparently be updated soon, though: the homepage now directs visitors to a disclaimer, dated January 18. "In line with the statement by Her Majesty The Queen, information on the roles and work of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be updated on this website in due course," it reads.

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