Say goodbye to Buckingham Palace! Harry and Megan will officially "quit the royal family" today.
BEIJING, March 31 (Li Hongyu, Kong Qingling) On March 31, 35-year-old Prince Harry and his wife Megan will officially quit the British royal office and start a new role and life in the United States.
On the occasion of "fading out of the royal family", the future life of the Harry couple is still receiving much attention. The change of identity not only leads to the dispute about who should pay the security premium for the two people, but also makes the outside world curious about how they will achieve financial independence in the future.
Goodbye, Your Highness. Hello, Harry.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry officially retired from the royal office
"After months of deliberation, we decided to make a change this year and start an enterprising new role — — We decided to withdraw from the ranks of senior members of the royal family, strive to achieve economic independence, and continue to fully support the Queen. "
On January 8, 2020, Prince Harry and his wife Megan announced their decision to withdraw from the royal office on social media, which caused an uproar as soon as the news was released. The British people also created a new word "MEGXIT" for this purpose, echoing the British "Brexit" drama that lasted for several years.
Although Harry and Megan explained that the decision would be beneficial to their 8-month-old son Archie, the British royal family said that they were "hurt" and "deeply disappointed" because they did not consult any members of the royal family before the announcement.
A few days later, Queen Elizabeth II declared after an emergency meeting of members of the royal family that she supported Prince Harry’s decision to give up his senior membership and incidental responsibilities and start a "new life".
However, Buckingham Palace later announced that Harry and Megan will no longer use the title of "Your Highness", no longer perform royal duties, no longer receive public funds for performing royal duties, and no longer formally represent the Queen of England.
After the announcement at Buckingham Palace, Harry and Megan set March 31st as the date for their official resignation as senior members of the royal family.
Harry, who entered the countdown to "resignation", is also gradually adjusting his status. When he attended a public event in February, he asked people not to call him Prince, but just call him Harry.
From Britain to Canada, from finance to security.
How does Prince Harry start a new life?
Since Harry and his wife announced their resignation as senior members of the royal family, the outside world has been full of concern about their new life in the future. Where will they move to live? How to achieve financial independence? How to solve the security problem?
They once said that after resigning from the royal family, they would travel back and forth between Britain and North America. Megan also took her son to Canada first. However, the security cost of the couple when they live in Canada has caused great controversy.
Some security experts estimate that the annual security expenditure of Harry’s family may be between 10 million and 30 million dollars. Canadians are arguing endlessly about who should bear this huge security cost. Polls show that more than 70% of Canadians think that they should not be responsible for the safety and other expenses of the Harry couple.
The Canadian federal government also confirmed at the end of February that with the change of the identity of Harry and Megan, Canada will soon stop providing them with security.
In addition to security costs, how the Harry couple achieve financial independence has also attracted much attention. When they announced their "retirement from the royal family", they said that they would strive to become financially independent because they "value the ability to earn professional income". However, the details of their career plans are still unknown.
Next stop, America.
"We need each other more than ever."
Just when the outside world thought that Harry and Megan would live in Canada for a long time, they moved their family to Los Angeles, California, near Hollywood before the border between Canada and the United States was temporarily closed due to the epidemic.
At present, Harry and his wife are living in isolation according to local suggestions. Fox News quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the couple are currently increasing their time alone as much as possible. They also issued a document saying, "This is an uncertain period. Now, we need each other more than ever. "
US President Trump posted on social media that he would not pay security fees for Harry and Megan. (Image taken from Trump social media)
With Harry’s family moving to Los Angeles, who will bear their security expenses in the United States has become a hot topic. On March 29, US President Trump said that the government would not pay for the security costs of the two. To this end, the couple’s spokesperson said that a privately funded security plan has been made.
Although the US government refuses to pay the security premium, this place may mean more opportunities for them. The Walt Disney Company of the United States confirmed that a documentary about elephants, narrated by Megan, will be broadcast on "Disney Nature" channel on April 3rd. It is said that this is Megan’s first job after she announced her resignation from the royal family.
From Britain to Canada and then to the United States; From the discharge of the royal duties to the first job; Starting today, Harry and Megan will officially open a new chapter in their future lives. (End)