Meghan Markle & Prince Harry To Give Up Royal Titles & Repay U.K. For House Renovations

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will no longer be referred to as ‘Her Royal Highness’ and ‘His Royal Highness,’ starting in the spring of 2020! This was just one change among others in a new agreement that Buckingham Palace released.

Before an exciting new chapter in Canada, Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, are facing the losses after opting out of their senior member roles in the Royal Family. Beginning in the spring of 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will drop their “HRH [His/Her Royal Highness] titles,” in addition to “public funds for royal duties,” Buckingham Palace announced in a statement on Jan. 18. Harry and Meghan, who will no longer be “working members of the Royal Family,” have also agreed to repay the money spent on renovations of Frogmore Cottage, their charming family home located on the Grounds of Windsor Castle. This is a big promise, seeing that Meghan and Harry spent a reported $3 million on these refurbishments, thanks to the Sovereign Grant!

“With The Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations. While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty,” the statement added. Despite the formal tone and privileges lost, Queen Elizabeth II, 93, sent off Meghan and Harry on their new path with well-wishes in her own statement, released right before the agreement was posted.

“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life,” the Queen wrote, adding, “I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family.”

This final agreement arrives five days after the Queen held a royal family summit on Jan. 13. After the discussion, she surprised the public by supporting Meghan and Harry seguing into a more personal life, far away in North America! “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family,” the Queen announced in a statement last Monday.

The summit happened just five days after Meghan and Harry blindsided the world with their decision to pull back from royal life on Jan. 8. “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages,” the couple had revealed in a statement, perhaps the most shocking sentence within the announcement. Explaining their decision to move to a new continent, the couple added, “This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son [Prince Archie, 1] with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”

While the loss of the HSR titles may come as a surprise, losing access to public funds wasn’t so much, seeing that the Duke and Duchess had already vowed to “work to become financially independent” in their original statement. Following a confusing past 10 days, Meghan and Harry’s future is taking shape!