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In this Nov. 27, 2017, photo, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens in Kensington Palace in London. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been a couple officially since November 2016 and are due to marry in Spring 2018.
Britain's royal family scrambled Thursday to contain the fallout from the surprise announcement by Prince Harry and Meghan that they plan "to step back" from royal duties and pursue a new path that will allow them to be financially independent.
The couple's announcement that they planned to forge a "progressive" new path for royals in the modern world and clearly upset senior royals — who apparently weren't told of the decision in advance. Hours after Harry and Meghan's announcement, Buckingham Palace issued a second statement, saying many issues still had to be worked out before the couple's plan could be realized.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 9, 2020. The Commonwealth Service will be the last job for Meghan and Harry as senior royals before they split from Buckingham Palace.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend The Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House on March 5, 2020 in London, England. This is the last weekend for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as working royals before they part ways with Buckingham Palace.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mountbatten Festival of Music at Royal Albert Hall on March 7, 2020, in London, England. This is the last weekend for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as working royals before they part ways with Buckingham Palace.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge visit the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall to meet patients and staff on Feb. 11, 2020 in Loughborough, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II is escorted by Station commander Group captain James Beck past an RAF guard of honor as she arrives at RAF Marham to inspect the new integrated training centre that trains personnel on the maintenance of the new RAF F-35B Lightning II strike aircraft at Royal Air Force Marham on Feb. 3, 2020 in Kingu2019s Lynn, England. (Photo by Richard Pohle u2013 WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on Feb. 02, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attend the annual Remembrance Sunday service at The Cenotaph on Nov. 10, 2019, in London, England. The armistice ending the First World War between the Allies and Germany was signed at Compiegne, France, on eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month on Nov. 11, 1918.
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Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the annual Remembrance memorial at The Cenotaph on Nov. 10, 2019, in London, England.
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visit a settlement of the Kalash people to learn more about Kalash culture and heritage, Oct. 16, 2019, in Chitral, Pakistan.
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles attend the official State Opening of Parliament at the House of Lords in London, Monday Oct. 14, 2019. The 93-year-old monarch read a 10-minute speech outlining an ambitious legislative program for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.
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Britain's Prince Harry walks through a minefield in Dirico, Angola, Friday Sept. 27, 2019, during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. Prince Harry is following in the footsteps of his late mother, Princess Diana, right,, whose walk through an active mine field in Angola years ago helped to lead to a global ban on the deadly weapons.
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Britain's Prince Harry with Jose Antonio, center, of the Halo Trust and a mine clearance worker walk through a minefield in Dirico, Angola Friday Sept. 27, 2019, during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, on day five of the royal tour of Africa.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend Heritage Day public holiday celebrations in the Bo Kaap district of Cape Town, during the royal tour of South Africa on Sept. 24, 2019, in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attends the "Back to Nature" festival at RHS Garden Wisley on Sept. 10, 2019, in Woking, England.
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Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London, with her brother Prince George and her parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Sept. 5, 2019, in London, England.
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Princess Charlotte, 4, arrives for her first day of school, with her brother Prince George, 6, and her parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at Thomas's Battersea in London on September 5, 2019 in London, England.
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Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge having fun together after the inaugural Kingu2019s Cup regatta hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Aug. 8, 2019, in Cowes, England. Their Royal Highnesses hope that The Kingu2019s Cup will become an annual event bringing greater awareness to the wider benefits of sport, whilst also raising support and funds for Action on Addiction, Place2Be, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, The Royal Foundation, Child Bereavement UK, Centrepoint, Londonu2019s Air Ambulance Charity and Tusk.
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Prince George celebrates his sixth birthday in the gardens at Kensington Palace. The photo was shared by Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge, on Instagram.
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Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meets cast and crew, including US singer-songwriter Beyoncu00e9 and her husband, rapper Jay-Z as they attend the European premiere of the film "The Lion King" in London on July 14, 2019. (Photo by Niklas HALLE'N / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images)
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This official handout Christening photograph released by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shows Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (center left), and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex holding their baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor flanked by (L-R) Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Ms Doria Ragland, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, west of London on July 6, 2019. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan had their baby son Archie christened on Saturday at a private ceremony.
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Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet players of the New York Yankees before a match against the Boston Red Sox in London, Saturday, June 29, 2019.
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Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet Boston Red Sox players before a match against the New York Yankees in London, Saturday, June 29, 2019.
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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attends the first day of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019, in Ascot, England.
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Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands seen on the first day of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019, in Ascot, England.
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, attends the first day of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019, in Ascot, England.
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Prince Edward, Duke of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, pose for photographs ahead their 20th wedding anniversary on day one of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019, in Ascot, England.
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Princess Eugenie of York and Princess Beatrice of York attends the first day of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019, in Ascot, England.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with Prince Harry and her mother, Doria Ragland, introduces her newborn son to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip on May 8, 2019, at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England. The royal couple named their firstborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor two days after the baby was born.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with "Baby Sussex" in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019, in Windsor, England. The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to the couple's first child two days ago.
Kate Middleton/Kensington Palace
Photos of Princess Charlotte taken in April by her mother, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was released by Kensington Palace in honor of the princess' 4th birthday on May 1, 2019. Charlotte, the second child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, was born on May 2rd.
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A new photoset by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, shows her third son, Prince Louis, a day before his first birthday, on April 23, 2019.
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Queen Elizabeth II is presented with flowers as she leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, at Windsor Castle in England Sunday, April 21, 2019. The Queen is also celebrating her 93rd birthday.
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Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Governor General Cecile La Grenade visit St Georgeu2019s Carenage and watch dancers during the official royal visit to the country on March 23, 2019, in Saint George's, Grenada.
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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meets Olivia Colman after the EE British Academy Film Awards at Royal Albert Hall on Feb. 10, 2019, in London, England. 'The Favourite,' in which Colman plays Queen Anne, swept the BAFTAs with seven awards out of 12 nominations.
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In this image released on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018, Britain's Queen Elizabeth poses for a photograph after she recorded her annual Christmas Day message, in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, London.
Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace released this year's Christmas Card from the Duke of Cambridge's family, taken at Anmer Hall. From left, clockwise: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Charlotte; Prince George; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; and Prince Louis.
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Prince Charles marks his 70th birthday in the gardens of Clarence House, with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in London, England, on Nov. 13, 2018.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are greeted by 5-year-old Luke Vincent as they arrive at Dubbo Airport on Oct. 17, 2018, in Dubbo, Australia. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on their official 16-day autumn tour visiting cities in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
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Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet Ruby, a koala, during a visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. Ruby gave birth to two joeys named Harry and Meghan after the Duke and Duchess. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are on a 16-day tour of Australia and the South Pacific, during which Kensington Palace announced that Meghan is pregnant
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Princess Eugenie of York and her new husband Jack Brooksbank kiss as they leave St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle following their wedding on Oct. 12, 2018 in Windsor, England.
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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex take their seat before the performance next to the writer of "Hamilton," Lin Manuel Miranda before the gala performance in support of Sentebale at Victoria Palace Theatre on August 29, 2018, in London, England. "Hamilton" is a look at the American Revolutionary War, which skewers King George III, Harry's royal ancestor.
Matt Holyoak/Camera Press via Kensington Palace
The royal family is shown in this official photograph released by Kensington Palace from Prince Louis' christening last week.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch a flyover to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018, in London, England.
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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge speaks to Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby as she arrives carrying Prince Louis for his christening service at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace on July 9, 2018, in London, England.
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From left, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Kate Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William attend the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London, Saturday, June 9, 2018.
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Britain's Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex ride in a carriage to attend the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London, Saturday, June 9, 2018.
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Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, kisses his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as they leave from St George's Chapel in Windsor, England, on May 19, 2018. The two married in the royal wedding of the year, in a wedding ceremony that bought touching moments to family and fans alike.
HRH The Duchess Of Cambridge
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a new photo of Princess Charlotte kissing her brother, Prince Louis, at Kensington Palace on May 2, 2018, Princess Charlotte's third birthday.
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Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, show their newborn son, their third child, to the media on Monday, April 23, 2018, outside the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in central London.
A statement issued Wednesday evening by Buckingham Palace, described as "a personal message from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," said Harry and Meghan intend to become "financially independent" and to “balance" their time between the U.K. and North America.
"After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," the statement said. "We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support her majesty the queen."
The rift dominated Britain's media, which reported that Queen Elizabeth II had not been informed of the decision. The Sun described the departure as "Megxit'' — a play on Brexit, Britain's departure from the European Union. The term was also adopted by the New York Post, another title owned by Rupert Murdoch — which featured a cover cartoon drawing of the duchess holding a cigarette while Harry cradles a beer in front of a television.
The 35-year-old Harry, the youngest son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, is Queen Elizabeth II's grandson and sixth in line to the British throne. With his ginger hair and beard, he has become one of the royal family's most popular members.
Before marrying the prince in a royal wedding watched around the world in 2018, the 38-year-old Duchess of Sussex was an American actress known as Meghan Markle and a star of the TV show "Suits." The couple's first child, Archie, was born in May 2019.
The message about their future plans was also posted on the couple's official Instagram page and referred readers to a website, sussexroyal.com, for information.
The statement and launching of the website was apparently not cleared with senior royals or their advisers.
Buckingham Palace's later communique hinted that Harry and Meghan's statement had caught the royal household by surprise. The palace statement said discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were "at an early stage.''
"We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,'' it read.
It was not known exactly where in the Americas the couple plan to spend their time. Meghan grew up in Los Angeles and filmed TV shows in Toronto. Harry and his family skipped the queen's traditional Christmas gathering at her Sandringham estate last month to visit Canada and see Markle's mother Doria, who lives in California.
The royal pair described their new roles on their website. The site noted that the Sovereign Grant, which funds the monarchy, covers just 5% of the costs for the duke and duchess and is used for their official office expenses but they want to cut this financial tie.
The couple also announced a new media relations policy "to ensure diverse and open access to their work.'' The policy includes opting out of a pool system that guarantees media coverage of royal events to Britain's media.
"Under this system, the rota, or pool, gives these British media representatives the opportunity to exclusively cover an event, on the understanding that they will share factual material obtained with other members of their sector who request it,'' the website said. "The current system predates the dramatic transformation of news reporting in the digital age.''
As an actress and a human rights activist, the duchess was accustomed to media attention before her marriage, but she has made no secret of the fact that the transition to being a global celebrity and part of Britain's royal family was difficult. The royal couple particularly took issue with their treatment at the hands of the British tabloids, whose aggressive coverage of all things royal is legendary.
The royal couple revealed their struggles with the media during an ITV documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey," which followed them on a recent tour of Southern Africa. Both said they had struggled with the spotlight, particularly because they say much of what is printed is untrue.
The duchess told ITV last year that her British friends warned her not to marry the prince because of the intense media scrutiny that would follow in his country. But the U.S. television star said she "naively" dismissed the warnings, because as an American she didn’t understand how the British press worked.
"I never thought this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And that is the part that is hard to reconcile," she said. "But (I) just take each day as it comes."
The duchess said the pressure was aggravated by the fact that she went quickly from being a newlywed to being pregnant and then a new mother.
The British media have also made much of an alleged split between Harry and his older brother, Prince William, who is second in line to the throne. Harry and Meghan last year opted out of living at Kensington Palace in London, where William and his family lives, and moved to a Frogmore Cottage at Windsor.
In the ITV interview, Harry acknowledged there have been some differences between him and the 37-year-old William, although he said most of what has been printed about a rift between the two brothers has been "created out of nothing."
"Part of this role and part of this job and this family being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably stuff happens," he said. "But, look, we’re brothers. We’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I will always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me."
Associated Press reporters Jill Lawless and Gregory Katz contributed.
