Harry and Meghan prepare to bow out of Royal life on Tuesday
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have placed one last post on their official @SussexRoyal account as they prepare to officially quit the Royal Family on Tuesday.
Harry and Meghan’s new role – outside the Royal Family – begins on Wednesday.
The Sussexes have left their temporary home in the Canada, and have now settled, as many predicted they would, in Los Angeles, California.
The well-known Hollywood PR agency, Sunshine Sachs, will handle their publicity as soon as Harry and Meghan’s office at Buckingham Palace shuts down on Tuesday evening.
Harry and Meghan have only kept on one member of their current staff, James Holt, who will transfer from Buckingham Palace and will be employed by Harry and Meghan in the UK.
All other Palace staff are being made redundant or relocated within the Royal Household.
A new chief of staff has been appointed.
Catherine St Laurent, who used to work for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will start with the Sussexes on 1 April.
On the appointment of St-Laurent, Harry and Meghan said: “We are proud to be joined by Catherine St-Laurent in this next chapter with us.
"Her leadership and proven track record working within two organisations that have tremendous impact in the world - the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pivotal Ventures - make her an incredible asset and we are excited to have her on our team.”
Meanwhile, St-Laurent said: “From our very first conversation, Harry and Meghan have expressed a deep commitment to improving lives and having a positive impact on society.
"Their perspective on the role that empathy, connection, and compassion can play in that mission is both deeply personal and incredibly timely.
"I am delighted and honoured to be able to play a role in realising their vision as they embark on this journey of learning, listening, and inspiring all of us to act.”
The couple both say that they want the immediate attention of the world to remain on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic but they acknowledge there remains some interest in their transition in the coming days.
They are preparing to permanently stop using the name Sussex Royal as the Queen asked – even though they initially questioned the wisdom of that decision.
Monday's post on @SussexRoyal Instagram, with its 11.3 million followers, and on their newly created website sussexroyal.com, will be their last.
Both accounts, we are told, will remain accessible but they will no longer be updated.
Their forthcoming charitable organisation will no longer be called Sussex Royal, as intended.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes said: “the update … on the @SussexRoyal Instagram account will mark their 31st March transition from ‘working’ Members of the Royal Family.”
On the thorny issue of their security and who pays for it – the couple’s office would only say that they have “made private security arrangements” but would not share details of what those are.
Nor are we any clearer on how many Metropolitan Police Protection Officers will continue to look after the Duke and Duchess and Archie.
Despite living in Los Angeles, it’s understood a British police team has to be with them at all times, like they are for all Royals, and the officers are rotating from the UK, at the expense of the British taxpayer.
Harry and Meghan plan to spend the next few months focusing on Archie and supporting their “pre-existing charitable commitments” – as best they can in the current conditions - as they work on their longer term plans for what they call their “future non-profit organisation”.
The plans that had been started for the Sussex Royal Foundation will not continue and their spokesperson says a “winding up process” has now begun.
Harry and Meghan had already appointed trustees to key roles and even encouraged a member of staff from William and Kate’s Royal Foundation, Natalie Campbell, to switch to the Sussex Foundation.
“The Duke and Duchess are incredibly grateful for the Trustees’ support and counsel in recent months,” said their spokesperson.
The patronages that Harry and Meghan already established will, however, continue and they will “remain committed and supportive” to them.
The eco-friendly tourism initiative, Travalyst, that Prince Harry had started under the foundation will now be established as an independent non-profit organisation which will be based in the UK.
Harry travelled by train to Edinburgh for a summit with Travalyst at the start of his recent “farewell tour” on his brief return from Canada.
The Sussexes say that Covid-19 has “presented the world with one of the greatest public health and socio-economic challenges of modern times.”
And when the pandemic finally ends, Harry and Meghan hope that the Travalyst scheme, which encourages tourists and travel firms to treat the world and the local communities with greater consideration, will help to promote the role of responsible tourism.
The couple’s office said it will now be more important than ever to “support communities and destinations around the world.”
The new arrangements will be in place for 12 months, as agreed with the Queen, before being reviewed.
Less than two years since their wedding at Windsor Castle, the Royal story will end for Harry and Meghan on Tuesday night.