After years of serving at the Queen's pleasure as senior members of the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally fulfilled the last of their duties.
The couple's return to the United Kingdom after announcing their decision to step away the Firm has been marked by numerous public appearances. Over the last week, Meghan and Harry participated in joint and solo appearances at different events, happily greeting the thousands that swarmed to see them on each occasion.
Their final act as royals was appearing with Queen Elizabeth and their other family members at the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. The Sussexes were all smiles at the service, happily taking in their last official duty before wrapping things up at the end of this month. Come April, Meghan and Harry's Buckingham Palace office will be vacated, with the couple splitting their personal and professional time between North America (in Canada and California, most likely) and the United Kingdom.
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The fact that the pair are ditching their duties doesn't point to some secret beef between Meghan and Harry and the Queen. If anything, the love seems even stronger now that the spouses are taking a necessary step back. "Meghan and I are so happy to be back here with you," Harry told the crowd at last week's Endeavour Fund Awards. "Being able to serve Queen and country is something we all are rightly proud of, and it never leaves us. Once served, always serving."
The Firm is working closely with Harry and Meghan to make sure that their decision works for them and serves the needs of the palace. In a year, both parties will meet to evaluate the success of the new arrangements, revisiting the agreement in 2021 to see if it is sustainable for the Royal Family.
In the meantime, Meghan and Harry are already working on their next steps as financially independent private citizens. They've already solidified lucrative deals with Netflix and Disney, and Meghan's dedicated fanbase has given her the leverage to become an Instagram influencer if she so desires. It would appear that the Sussexes' next chapter is going to be just as busy — but on their terms.