Itâs been five days since the world according to tabloids stopped turning. On January 8, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (just Harry) announced they would step down as senior members of the British royal family. In these past five days, weâve learned some things (like that Piers Morgan has a lot of opinions regarding Markle), but there is still a lot to unpack.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EaGS_Jpb9/The people around me keep talking about Megxit. What is that?
Megxit is a name coined by The Sun about the timeâone week agoâthat Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, said they would step down as âseniorâ royals.
Itâs a play on Brexit, aka Britainâs withdrawal from the European Union, aka a thing that will impact very many more lives than Markle and Harryâs withdrawal from the royal family.
Can royal people just do that?
Not sure. In their announcement, they said they were going to be âfinancially independent,â meaning they wonât take any money from taxpayers, yet they will continue to support the queen. The couple will split their time between the UK and North America.
Is the queen pissed?
Possibly. Itâs been reported that the queen didnât know this was coming.
âWe understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,â the queenâs statement reads.
Monarchies are weird, but people seem to think this is weirder.Â
Itâs been a long time coming. First, Markle and Harry moved out of Kensington Palace and established their own Instagram account as part of setting up their own court. The couple also sued several British tabloids in 2019 for their coverage of Markle, who has been open about her struggles with the onslaught of attention.
âWhen I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, âIâm sure heâs great, but you shouldnât donât do because the British tabloids will destroy your life,ââ she said in an interview.
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What else are they up to?
Prince Harry and Markle applied for a copyright stamp, including the âSussex Royalâ name and their joint charity, the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The applied in June and it was approved in December, just weeks before they made their announcement.
I heard something about Piers Morgan. What does he have to do with all this?
Oh, god. He tweeted this: âThe Queen must FIRE Their Royal Hustlers: Deluded Meghan and Harry should be stripped of their titles before this pair of grasping, selfish, scheming Kardashian-wannabes bring down the Monarchy.â
*NEW: The Queen must FIRE Their Royal Hustlers: Deluded Meghan and Harry should be stripped of their titles before this pair of grasping, selfish, scheming Kardashian-wannabes bring down the Monarchy.
My new column: https://t.co/TrLTlcsQ1n pic.twitter.com/fGG537Ay6Hâ Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 9, 2020
Morgan and Markle were also apparently âfriendsâ until she âghostedâ him after she met Prince Harry. This led Morgan to calling Markle a âslight social climber.â
Oh, wow.
Yeah, and Morgan isnât the only one with an opinion. President Donald Trump has one too.
âI think itâs sad,â Trump said during a Fox News interview. â[Queen Elizabeth II] is a great woman. Sheâs never made a mistakeâŚSheâs had, like, a flawless time.â
Will Markle go back to acting? She was on that show Suits.
Not sure. There was a time when Princess Grace of Monaco tried to be an actress after becoming royalty, but people werenât into it.
âThe return to acting did not set well with the public,â Princess Grace said at the time. âThey thought it was not in keeping with my place as a princess.â
So itâs unclear if Markle will return to on-screen acting, but several outlets are reporting that sheâs inked a deal to do voice-over work for Disney. As for Harry, it was reported last April that heâd be producing Oprahâs mental-health series on Apple TV+. Itâs set to air this year.
Where will they live?
Sources say they have their eyes on Canada. They like Los Angeles, but not while Trump is in charge.
Are there any other royals who are part time?
Yes. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, daughters of Prince Andrew (whoâs got his own scandal brewing) and his ex-wife Sarah âFergieâ Ferguson, work outside of royal duties. Princess Beatrice has worked in finance and consulting and Princess Eugenie is a director of an art gallery.
Whatâs next?
The queen has apparently called a family meeting today. According to reports, âthe queen will be joined by Harry; his father, Charles, Prince of Wales; and his older brother, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Meghan, who is currently in Canada, is expected to join the meeting by phone,â NPR writes.
âThe goal of the meeting is to agree on next steps for the couple. It follows days of discussions at Buckingham Palace and consultations between palace officials and members of the British and Canadian governments about the coupleâs options.â
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