Prince Harry explains decision to step back from royal duties
During a candid speech at a charity event Sunday, Prince Harry opened up about the shocking decision earlier this month that he and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, would step back from their "senior" royal roles. His remarks came a day after Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, announced the pair will no longer be official "working members" of the royal family.
meeting in wake of the news. Harry, his brother William, and father Prince Charles gathered at the queen's home in eastern England. The monarch and the senior members of her family are said to have hashed out Harry and Meghan's role going forward, including who's to pay for their transatlantic lifestyle.
However, Harry made clear in his speech Sunday that the discussion was not the first time he spoke about issues he and Meghan were having.
"It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges," Harry explained. "And I know I haven't always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. What I want to make clear is we're not walking away, and we certainly aren't walking away from you."
He added that while their hope was to continue serving the queen, the Commonwealth and his "military associations," without receiving public funding, it just "wasn't possible."
He also said he hoped his explanation would help others understand,"what it had to come to, that I would step my family back from all I have ever known" to find what he hopes to be a "more peaceful life."
Harry used the moment to call out the media as a "powerful force," explaining that he hopes "one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us."
He also expressed he was grateful to his grandmother, who he called his "commander in chief," and his family for the support they have given the couple.
After the unprecedented family meeting, the queen said she and the royal family were "entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family" and "understand their wish to live a more independent life."
But she added, "we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family."
"We are taking a leap of faith," Harry concluded, before segueing into the work of the charity. "Thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step."
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