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  • -On Instagram on January 8th, Prince Harry and his wife,

  • Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, announced that they planned

  • "to step back" from their roles as senior royals

  • and to split their time between Britain and North America.

  • The two also declared that they wanted to become

  • "financially independent"

  • and provide their son, Archie Harrison,

  • with a more balanced life.

  • Here's what it all means.

  • -Since they began dating in 2016,

  • they have been hounded nonstop by the British tabloids.

  • They really have suffered at the hands

  • of the media, Meghan, especially.

  • Coverage of her for the last four years has been nasty.

  • It's been spiteful. It's been relentless.

  • The two basically are saying, "Enough is enough now

  • and this is how we want to live our life".

  • While they said they're stepping back,

  • they didn't say they were stepping down.

  • Meghan is, you know, she's biracial.

  • She's American.

  • She's divorced.

  • So, that made her an easy target for the British tabloids.

  • Many here and fans and supporters of Meghan

  • will argue that Britain's media do not like change,

  • the fact that Harry was breaking down all these boundaries.

  • He was swerving several traditions.

  • Some of the stories have been sexist.

  • They've been racist. They've been vicious.

  • She didn't fit the ideal mold

  • of what Prince Harry should have married,

  • according to the British tabloids.

  • -Harry's been very vocal about not wanting Meghan

  • to suffer like his mother,

  • Princess Diana, who was hounded by the press,

  • right up until the moment she died in 1997.

  • -They live in Frogmore Cottage, which was recently renovated,

  • so, of course, there's been a lot of criticism from people,

  • that have said, "Oh, you spent all of this taxpayer money

  • on the cottage and, now, you're moving".

  • But they do want to stay at Frogmore Cottage.

  • It's likely that they will still use

  • that as a base when they are here.

  • People have also speculated that, actually,

  • they might just go and live in Canada forevermore.

  • But I guess we just have to wait and see.

  • They aren't packing everything up and going to the US for good.

  • All they really said in the statement

  • was that they want him to have a balanced life.

  • And, when he was born,

  • they didn't give Archie a royal title

  • and that actually was a move that signaled,

  • for a lot of people, that maybe they want him

  • to live a relatively normal life

  • because they don't want him to live

  • this very traditional royal life

  • that his cousins Prince George and Princess Charlotte

  • and Prince Louis are living.

  • And it's important to note that Harry is a lot further

  • down the line of succession to the British throne.

  • They did indicate that they would still continue

  • to live off the money that Harry's father,

  • Prince Charles, who is heir to the British throne, has.

  • They did say in the statement

  • that they would continue to do charity work

  • and to honor the queen and the Commonwealth.

  • While it's likely that it will be something in that sector,

  • we just don't know right now.

  • -Harry and Meghan said they want to become

  • financially independent,

  • stating they value the ability to earn a professional income.

  • In 2019, Harry and Meghan received around

  • $6pointfive million from funds

  • that his father receives via his Duchy of Cornwall estate,

  • covering what they said were 95% of their costs.

  • On their new website, Harry and Meghan stated

  • that they will no longer accept money

  • from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant,

  • which has covered 5% of their expenses.

  • Harry's net worth is estimated to be around $39 million,

  • most of it inherited from his mother, Princess Diana;

  • and his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth,

  • the Queen Mother.

  • Meghan's net worth is estimated to be around $5 million,

  • much of it coming from her role on the TV series "Suits".

  • -So, I think Harry, you know, he loves his family.

  • He's a family man. He's been very clear about that.

  • But, while he is part of the royal family,

  • he has a new family. He has a wife, now.

  • He has a baby son, so, he wants to protect them

  • from everything that his mother

  • went through at the hands of the press,

  • which is likely why they've made this decision.

  • -There are no hard and fast rules beyond that Harry

  • and Meghan will be expected to use good judgment

  • and remember that the family is supposed to be apolitical.

  • Harry will remain in deep discussions

  • with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II;

  • his father, Prince Charles; and his brother, Prince William;

  • about the couple's future role.

-On Instagram on January 8th, Prince Harry and his wife,

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