Not long ago the Buckingham Palace was astir when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – announced their separation from the United Kingdom and its monarchy, which meant they would no longer make use of their royal titles as “royal highness” nor be funded by the British taxpayer. The couple royal couple, who recently welcomed their first child to the world, decided they wanted to seek independence. Take a look at how the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have changed after this separation, also cleverly known as the Megxit.
Their lives in Los Angeles
After the couple surprisingly announced they would step back from their roles in the Royal Family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to split their time between North America – Markle’s home – and the UK, spending the “majority” of their time in North America.
After a short stint in Canada, the couple decided to move to Hollywood and have been staying in Tyler Perry’s luxury $18 million home in Beverly Hills, and as the photos posted by the American actor on social media indicate, the place looks spectacular – definitely fit for royalty. The producer has constantly showed off his Beverly Hills house through photos posted on Instagram, which gives us a glimpse of the couple’s new “humble” abode.
They are not allowed to travel on behalf of the Queen
Throughout 2018-2019 Harry and Meghan made use of the money from the Sovereign Grant to travel across the world, which was part of their royal tours, and included Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and South Africa, most of these trips on behalf of their royal charity fund. Although the royal annual reports don’t detail how much the couple spent on their trips, the couple’s trips to Fiji and Tonga cost approximately $105,000, according to the Sovereign Grant financial report.
However, since the couple decided to step down from their roles in the royal family, they are no longer allowed to participate in the royal tours, which means they are no longer able to undertake duties on behalf of the Queen.
Losing the Sovereign Grant
The mounting criticism made by the British taxpayers over the cost of the couple’s lifestyle after the Megxit may have been part of the reason of the couple’s shocking statement made on January 8th, in which they made it very clear that they wished to become financially independent, meaning that they would no longer receive funding through the Sovereign Grant.
The Sovereign Grant is the annual funding of the Queen and Royal family official duties; it covers the cost of the Queen’s travels, or any member of the royal family representing her, to official engagements, and it serves to maintain their official work spaces and residences.
The royal Rota system
The former-royal couple made the announcement that they will no longer participate of the royal Rota, but what does that mean? The royal Rota was established over 40 years ago and gives the opportunity to broadcast and print in media an “exclusive inside access to the official engagements of members of the royal family,” according to the Sussex royal website. However, as the couple stepped out of the royal family, they are now treated as celebrities by the press, and the photos taken of them will now be more likely appear online without their consent.
