Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal duties are officially coming to a close.
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that the couple’s royal duties will end on March 31, according to multiple outlets. BBC reported that the royal family will reexamine the arrangement in a year’s time.
“In addition to continuing to work closely with their existing patronages as they build a plan for engagements in the U.K. and the Commonwealth throughout the year, The Duke and Duchess have also been undertaking meetings as part of their ongoing work to establish a new non-profit organization,” the statement on behalf of the couple said, according to People. “The details of this new organization will be shared later in the year.”
The announcement said that “the themes of their cause related work will remain unchanged, which includes the Commonwealth, community, youth empowerment and mental health, collectively.”
As previously expected, the couple will return back to the U.K. for Commonwealth Day celebrations on March 9 alongside the rest of the royal family at Westminster Abbey. The spokesperson added that the Sussexes “will be in the United Kingdom regularly.”
Meghan and Harry announced that they were stepping back from royal duties on Jan. 9. In their surprise announcement, the couple said that they wanted to become financially independent and split their time between the U.K. and North America.
“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,” the royals said on their Sussex Royal Instagram account at the time.
After discussions at Sandringham Estate with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry, an arrangement for the couple was finalized.
It granted the couple financial independence, the ability for the couple to maintain their private patronages and associations and settle down across the pond. But because of their step back, the Sussexes will no longer be allowed to use their “royal highness” titles.
The couple has since settled in Vancouver Island and stayed busy in their new role. Harry and Meghan attended a JPMorgan summit in early February, where Harry spoke about losing his mother, Princess Diana, and the importance of therapy.
Shortly afterward, CNBC reported that the duke was in talks with Goldman Sachs for an appearance on its online interview series, “Talks at GS.” A source confirmed to HuffPost that the appearance would be unpaid.
The Sussexes also recently stopped by Stanford University to discuss their new charity foundation. According to People, the royal family is still discussing whether Harry and Meghan can use the word “royal” for their new initiative.
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