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Prince Harry and Meghan to 'step back' as senior royals and aim to be 'financially independent'

  • Prince Harry and Meghan will work to become financially independent

  • They want to split their time between the UK and North America

  • The Palace responded to the announcement, claiming the issue is 'complicated'

The Duke and Duchess have announced their plans to step back as senior members of the royal family to become financially independent.

The couple said the decision comes after "many months of reflection and internal discussions".

In a statement released on Wednesday night, the couple said they will continue to 'fully support' the Queen and will split their time between the United Kingdom and North America, where they spent several weeks on holiday in the lead up to Christmas.

They said the move would "enable us to raise our son 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."

Harry and Meghan also said they would share "full details of this exciting next step in due course".

The Palace has since responded with another statement in which they called the situation 'complicated.'

Prince Harry and Meghan initially broke the news on Instagram writing: "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year, in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.

"We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.

"It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.

"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."

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