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In today's video, we'll be exploring the bigger picture surrounding one of the biggest recent news stories.
Surely you can’t have missed the news that Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan,
have decided to retire as senior members of the Royal family in order to become financially independent,
and that doing this has caused quite a fuss.
Perhaps you're wondering what their reasons are, what the future holds for them, or why this is such a big deal.
Well Aluxers, you can count on us to have you covered – so let’s dive in and look at 15 topical facts about Harry and Meghan.
Until fairly recently, it was rare for a member of the royal family to marry a commoner
which means people who weren’t born with an aristocratic title like lady, or duchess.
Although times have moved on, Meghan is only the second American and first person of mixed race to marry into the British Royal family.
The last time an American married a member of the British royal family, in 1936, it ended poorly,
with the king at the time abdicating, or resigning his duties – something that a lot of Brits don’t forget that easily.
And the fact that Meghan was divorced also raised some eyebrows in the British monarchy, which is still pretty old-fashioned.
So while a lot of the public in the UK were more than happy for Meghan to join ranks,
some more conservative parts of British society didn’t welcome her with such open arms.
They say that you can’t choose family, and this is true of royalty too.
Harry and Meghan will still be members of the royal family; they’re stepping down as senior members of the royal family.
But what exactly does that mean?
The term ‘senior member’ covers adult members of the family, and their spouses, who are closest to the Queen.
They’re expected to share the Queen’s duties, including appearances at official events,
and in return, they get financial support from the crown.
But other responsibilities come with it too; they can’t express political opinions,
and they can’t make money independently from what they receive from the crown.
With Harry and Meghan giving up their official duties, they’ll be able to pursue their own paths in business.
And this won’t be changed by Harry retiring from royal duties.
The order of who gets to be king or queen next; or the line of succession, as it’s officially known;
is determined by laws that go back to the end of the 17th century.
On the Queen’s death, the first in line is Harry’s father, Prince Charles; second is Harry’s elder brother, Prince William
the third, fourth and fifth spots are taken by William’s three children.
The first six in line to the throne need to ask the Queen’s permission to get married – which Harry did in 2017 when he got engaged to Meghan.
And at the moment, Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie, is 7th in line to the throne
the first child of mixed race ever to be on the list.
They’ll still keep their titles the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – or the Sussexes for short.
When Harry announced he was giving up royal duties, he raised a few eyebrows – and it wasn’t the first time that Harry’s done this.
In 2005 photos of him emerged at a fancy-dress party wearing a Nazi uniform – definitely not the most tasteful choice.
And in 2012 pictures surfaced of Harry partying in Las Vegas, in which he was naked, and playing strip poker
generally seen as not quite appropriate behavior for a royal.
Harry’s case, it looks like the saying should be – ‘What happens in Vegas stays on the internet to haunt you for years to come’.
And there’s also a rumour that’s followed Harry around, but in this case, one that he’s definitely not responsible for
the one that casts doubt on who his real father is, and if he really is descended from royalty.
But more about that later.
Whatever trouble Harrys got into in the past, you have to admit that he’s more that made up for it by his passionate work for a wide range of charities.
These include the Invictus games – a sports event in which veterans with disabilities compete, which was founded by Harry
and his work raising awareness around the issue of mental health,
which has seen him team up with Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran.
This is something that’s especially close to Harry’s heart, as he says he’s suffered from mental health problems himself,
which he attributes to losing his mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash when he was just 12 years old.
Before she met Harry Before becoming a member of the British royal family, Meghan was already a familiar face, thanks to her acting career,
especially in her role as Rachel in Suits.
But she was also known for her work with humanitarian causes, promoting women’s rights worldwide
and she was a successful lifestyle blogger, running the website the Tig
which was named after her favourite wine, Tignanello, and made her around $70,000 a year.
The Tig was deactivated as soon as she got engaged to Harry – because as we know,
senior Royals aren’t allowed to make money independently or endorse brands.
In 2019, the couple opened up about the pressures of being royals,
Meghan stating that constant media coverage took its toll on her, especially when she was expecting her baby, Archie.
With Harry, the problems go back to the story of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997,
while being pursued by paparazzi
Harry has openly stated that constantly being surrounded by tabloid reporters brings back memories of his mother’s death.
Harry served in the military, reaching the rank of captain, and doing two tours of Afghanistan, in-ground forces and flying Apache helicopters.
Early in his career as a soldier, there was a heated debate about whether he should serve in the front line – Harry himself was keen to do this,
but a lot of people, objects, as he’d be seen by the enemy as a valuable target.
His tour of Iraq was cancelled against his wishes, but he was later deployed to Afghanistan twice.
It’s fair to say that it’ been a testing few months for the British royal family.
Harry and Meghan’s announcement came a few weeks after news that Harry’s uncle, Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties,
as a result of his involvement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein,
and allegations that a seventeen-year-old girl had been forced to have sex with him.
Whatever eyebrows may have been raised by Harry and Meghan stepping down,
it’s fair to say that anything they’ve done isn’t nearly in the same ballpark as the claims that Andrew’s facing.
Usually, when people say they want to become financially independent, they don’t have multi-million dollar fortunes
but in the case of Harry and Meghan, they do.
About 5 million of this is Meghan's’, thanks to her half-a-million a year salary for Suits, and from her blog.
The rest comes from Prince Harry, who inherited over $20 million from his mother, Princess Diana.
As senior royals, they also received something called the Sovereign Grant from the Crown,
which they’ll no longer be entitled to this after stepping down – as well as an allowance from Prince Charles – whether they’ll still receive this isn’t known.
Harry and Meghan may be giving up the money they receive officially,
but once they’re allowed to make money independently again, this could add up to a lot more.
Harry could join the world’s top public speakers, who can earn six-figure sums from single appearances.
The Sussexes have also trademarked a range of clothing, calenders, and souvenirs,
which indicates that they could be about to start selling their own merchandise.
And there are unconfirmed rumours that Meghan has signed a voice-over deal with Disney – putting her acting skills to use once again,
and with her higher profile now, she’ll be able to command much higher fees.
It’s clear that Meghan has proven her internet skills with her fashion blog, the Tig.
And though the royal family might not be that well-known posting videos that go viral, Harry seems to be the exception.
Videos that earned him a lot fans include the one in 2016, where he responded to a challenge from President Obama to promote the Invictus Games;
and in 2019 a video with Ed Sheeran to promote awareness around mental health – and redheads.
Both of them showcased his sense of humour and natural charisma, which we could be seeing more of once he’s no longer an official senior royal.
Of all the gossip surrounding Prince Harry, one that just won’t go away is the theory that he isn’t really a blood member of the royal family
and that his biological father isn’t Prince Charles, but a man called James Hewitt.
The evidence looks convincing at first – Hewitt was Princess Diana’s horse-riding instructor,
and the resemblance – starting with red hair – does raise some questions.
But the timeline of events shows that Princess Diana couldn’t have net Hewitt until 1986 – two years after Harry was born.
And though Harry may not look that much like Charles, take a look at Charles’s father, Prince Philip when he was Harry’s age.
Harry Meghan and Archie have recently been spending a lot of time in Canada,
and have stated that they want to split their time between UK and North America
and so far Canada looks like the most likely place for them to call home.
But why Canada? Neither of them are Canadian, but both have connections.
Meghan lived in Canada while working on Suits, which was filmed in Toronto, and while the couple were dating, they spent a lot of time in Canada.
Besides this, Canada doesn’t have the same kind of intrusive press that the USA is known for.
The response in Canada has mostly been positive, with coffee chain Tim Horton’s even offering them free coffee for life if they move
not that they’re that likely to need it with their fortune.
If you want a dazzling career after leaving public office, there’s nobody better than the Obamas you could look to for advice
with speaking tours, the success of Michelle Obama’s autobiography and deals with Netflix, they’ve really been doing well since Barack left the presidency.
And it’s been reported that the Obamas have already been advising the Sussexes on their life outside the royal family.
This makes sense, as they’ve been close friends for years, and both couples combine star status with a passion for social causes.
Well Aluxers that's a wrap for today, but before you go we're curious:
Let us know in the comments.
And, of course, for sticking with us until the end, here's that bonus you're waiting for.
They say that every girl dreams of marrying a prince.
But in the case of these two, it was the other way round,
because it turns out that Harry had a crush on Meghan long before their first meeting on a blind date organized by a friend.
Harry was a huge fan of the show Suits and had even told his friends that Meghan’s character, Rachel, was his ideal woman.
Meghan, on the other hand, said that she wasn’t that aware of the who Harry was
as she explains, being American, she didn’t know that much about the royal family.
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