In early 2018, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, made it clear to Prince Harry that he was not prepared to fully support him and his soon-to-be wife, Meghan Markle. These revelations, among others, were unveiled in Robert Jobson’s book, “Our King: Charles III — The Man and the Monarch Revealed.” According to reports, Harry grew increasingly frustrated during the conversation as the future King Charles III explained that he couldn’t afford to financially support not only Harry and Meghan but also Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and their young family. Prince Charles, as the heir to the throne, received annual earnings from the Duchy of Cornwall, and he did not rely on funding from Queen Elizabeth II’s Sovereign Grant.
These revelations align with complaints that the Duke of Sussex expressed in his memoir, “Spare,” where he wrote about his inability to earn money “to support my family.” The disclosure came shortly after Harry lost his legal battle in the High Court to retain taxpayer-funded security. Documents from the case, decided on February 28, revealed that Harry even demanded to know the specific person who authorized the removal of Sussex’s security four years ago. In early 2020, Harry and Meghan Markle decided to leave the United Kingdom, a move popularly known as “Megxit,” with reasons that have been the subject of ongoing debate among analysts and the couple themselves.
Regardless of the underlying reasons for their departure, government-funded royal security is typically provided only to senior royals who actively work for or receive funding from the annual Sovereign Grant. It is widely understood that members of the monarchy who receive such security reside full-time in Britain and continue to fulfill their public and private duties as representatives of the reigning monarch. Both of these principles were abandoned when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their decision to leave.
In February 2020, the flame-haired prince filed a claim against the British Home Office after their decision to withdraw security, and he released a statement last December defending his choice. Harry expressed that he and the Duchess of Sussex felt compelled to leave the monarchy nearly four years ago.
“With great sadness, my wife and I felt forced to step back from our roles and leave the country in 2020. The U.K. is my home. It is central to the heritage of my children, and I want them to feel at home there, just as they do where they currently reside in the United States,” read Harry’s recent witness statement, underscoring his deep connection to the United Kingdom.
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