It’s official: Meghan and Harry are stepping down from their royal duties at the end of March, meaning they will no longer carry out duties on behalf of the Queen. Soon, the couple will return to the UK to attend six events, including the Commonwealth Day Service on 9 March, which is likely to be their last official appearance as working royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will keep their HRH titles, but they will no longer use them. The spokesperson added that the continued usage of the word ‘royal’ in their newSussex Royal brand is still in discussion.
The news - which was announced by a spokesperson for the couple - comes after the pair said they were stepping down from senior royal duties, so they could split their time between the UK and Canada; they also pledged to become financially independent.
Harry is also expected to attend the London Marathon in April in his capacity as patron, while the couple will also attend the Invictus Games in the Netherlands in May.
Their Buckingham Palace office is also going to close, meaning 15 staff will lose their jobs. There were reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex broke the news to their team in person in January - and that while one or two members of staff may get other jobs in the royal household, most are now negotiating redundancy packages. Buckingham Palace had set up a separate household - at Harry and Meghan's request - when they split their office from William and Kate's last year.
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