Royal Family Hurt, Disappointed as Harry, Meghan Quit Royalty

A source at UK Buckingham Royal Palace revealed that the royal family is feeling "hurt" and disappointment due to the shocking announcement by Prince Harry and his wife Megan that they will step down from their main tasks and spend more time in North America.

Harry and Meghan's announcement on social media yesterday evening surprised Queen Elizabeth, Harry's grandmother, and his father, Prince Charles, the heir because they had not been consulted about the step.

After months of reflection and discussion, Harry said, the couple decided to create a "new progressive role for themselves" by giving up royal duties and piding time between the United Kingdom and North America to give their families the space they needed. The couple also indicated that they would work towards achieving financial independence and establishing a new charitable organization while continuing some royal tasks.

The couple described the next step as exciting and said they would announce full details as soon as the discussions are completed with the Queen, with Prince Charles, Harry's father, and with his brother William.

But it is not yet clear how the couple could become "half royal" as described in the Autobiography of the Royal Family and those who will pay for their living costs in North America.

According to a statement on the royal official website of Sussex, the couple declared their desire for financial independence and that each of them earns income through direct work, which is inconsistent with the rules of the royal family.

Commentators compared the couple's situation to the crisis of King Edward VIII who abdicated in 1936 to marry the American porced Wallis Simpson and lived in France.

In a strongly worded statement, Buckingham Palace said discussions with Harry and Meghan were in early stages, adding: "We understand their desire to take a different approach." The statement warned of "complicated matters" that would be discussed and taken time to solve them.

Harry, 35, married Megan, 38, in May 2018 at a lavish ceremony in Windsor Castle, west of London. The couple, officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had their first child in May 2019 and named it Archie Harrison Mountainbatten-Windsor.

Prince Harry is the sixth in the line to the British throne, and his announcement came after a turbulent year in which there was a rift with his older brother Prince William. The differences first erupted between Megan and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, and included the brothers Harry and William and led to the transfer of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to a new home away from the residence of his brother Prince William and his wife. The couple also chose to spend the Christmas vacation in Canada instead of staying alongside the royal  family in Britain.

British "Mirror" quoted analysts as saying that the step taken by Harry and Meghan could enable them to achieve great wealth, as they would have the right to conduct any sponsorship contracts or any commercial deals.

The reactions on the social sites were pided between supporters and opponents, as some considered that Megan had always been treated by her husband's family as a "less" member of the royal family and that she should not be there, so why they would attack her if she really left that family.

On the other hand, some launched a harsh attack on Megan, accusing her of affecting her husband and that she led him to leave the royal family in order to achieve a wider reputation and commercially exploit it to achieve huge profits.