Tomorrow marks the final day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s time as senior members of the royal family. Starting in April, the couple will begin the next chapter of their lives as private citizens. However, Meghan and Harry’s “new normal” promises to be very different from what they’ve known as members of the Firm, complete with significant changes to their lifestyle.
Last week, the Sussexes reportedly packed their Vancouver home and settled in Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles, where they will likely be spending quality time with her mother, Doria Ragland. In Canada, Meghan and Harry were considered Internationally Protected Persons and thus granted government-mandated security by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As L.A. residents, the spouses will have to secure their own means of security.
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“The U.S. will not pay for their security protection,” President Trump tweeted upon hearing of the couple’s stateside residence. “They must pay!”
I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom. It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2020
Meghan and Harry are already way ahead of him. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the U.S. government for security resources," a statement from their team said in response. “Privately-funded security arrangements have been made.”
The change in protected status runs parallel with their agreement with the Palace to stop publicly identifying with the term “royal.” Smart Works Charity, one of the many organizations that Meghan serves as a patron for, updated its website to remove every mention of the Duchess as a “royal” or “HRH.” Harry has also notably dropped usage of his ID as a prince, choosing to go by his first name instead. As part of the deal, he has also been required to give up several of his military appointments. Harry was stripped of his titles of Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving (2006), Honorary Air Commandant (2008), and Captain General of the Royal Marines (2017).
Other adjustments to life post-palace include stepping away from their popular Instagram account @SussexRoyal. Now that Meghan and Harry are no longer technically considered "royals," the pair will no longer actively use the page.
"As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute," Meghan and Harry captioned the post. "We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You’ve been great!"
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There have been rumors that the Sussexes are gearing up to return to social media with a rebrand. According to royal reporter Omid Scobie, plans for the Sussex Royal Foundation have been scrapped to be refashioned into a different non-profit charitable organization. In addition to their developing charity, Meghan's ventures include a voiceover deal with Disney (she'll be narrating an upcoming animal documentary called Elephant) and a rumored gig with Netflix.
—As reported, plans for the Sussex Royal Foundation will not continue. Instead they will focus on building a new non-profit charitable organisation (which former #PivotalVentures director Catherine St-Laurent, the couple’s new chief of staff, will serve as executive director of).
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 30, 2020
—Harry’s sustainable tourism venture, #Travalyst, is now being established as an independent non-profit org in UK. He’s currently working with partners to better understand how they can “aid in global recovery” when restrictions related to controlling the Covid-19 pandemic ease. pic.twitter.com/presfOgjeD
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 30, 2020
Harry is pursuing some deals of his own. Per Scobie, Harry's sustainable tourism venture Travalyst is now being re-established as an independent non-profit organization in the United Kingdom, and his team is working addressing the coronavirus crisis.
Though the couple is stepping out of the shadows of the Royal Family to strike out on their own, they're not cutting ties with the Firm. The Sussexes are said to be in good standing with the royals despite their surprising decision. They were allowed to keep their HRH titles (though they declined usage of them), and Harry is technically still sixth in line for the throne. In fact, Harry and Meghan's new plans have been worked out in conjunction with Queen Elizabeth to sketch out how this new chapter will play out; early meetings led to an agreement that the first year of their independence would be a trial run to be revisited next year.
Whatever they decide to do next, Meghan and Harry are fully aware that all eyes are on them — but they're playing by their rules now.