Prince Harry and Meghan

I think the pair of them come off as hugely entitled and selfish. They could very easily wait until the Queen has gone to pull this one and in the meantime quietly “work to becoming self supporting” so that when they do bugger off to America they’ve got the financial means to cut ties.
What theyre doing instead will be incredibly hurtful to the Queen who more than any of them understands what Royal duty means. They’re also cutting ties without apparently having the financial means to do so. So they swan off and do what they want, and we carry on paying for it. As someone said on the radiothis morning, you don’t leave the job and keep the company car.

It's widely known she had cut all ties with her family and is only in contact with her mother though. Harry doesn't own her, Meghan isn't a possession that was passed from her father to her husband. She can have a relationship with her family if she choses to do so. Ghosting them isn't the act of getting married at all and frankly isn't what I'd call growing up. Lets not forget that there's now a baby involved in all this that has yet to meet his own grandfather.

No, they can't. They literally cannot make a private income without first cutting financial ties in this way - they are legally prohibited from doing so.

They are cutting ties so that 'we' are no longer paying for them. Not that 'we' ever really were - the Sovereign Grant is taken from the income of the Crown Estates, the 'Duchy of Cornwall' income is private family wealth. None of that comes from tax.  

Whether they give up HRH status, they've already made a public claim to become financially independent. They'll probably setup various charities and employ themselves, taking an active role and gaining a wage that way... whilst using their platform to do exclusive interviews for various publications I suppose. I don't see them courting attention (unless it's for a price for their charities) but I don't think life is going to be as quiet as I think they might think - they're fair game now they've stepped back from royal duties.

All that said, there is no reason why they cannot appear at family events and support the monarchy. From what they've said they aren't retiring from public life like Prince Philip, and nothing suggests they won't (or cant) be involved in ceremonial events. It's not like they're saying they won't be at Charles' coronation or never step out onto the balcony with the family again. 

They just won't be doing the work of a senior royal. Fair enough I suppose, the royal family work damn hard - wasn't it reported that the Princess Royal did something like 500 engagements in just under 100 countries in one calendar year? I know some argue that's not work, but it's a lot of time honouring, acknowledging and supporting what are usually charities and noble causes. It's just Harry and Meghan want to focus on their own, not be given a list to embrace. 

No, that’s a lie invented by those deranged “Megziteer” blogs and by the tabloid press.

She’s close to her maternal family (several of her maternal relatives were at the wedding) and to a couple of her paternal nieces.

The letter her dad sold to the press as well as some of his own interviews confirm that he was the one who ghosted her when she stopped giving him money, and that she spent weeks or months repeatedly phoning him and leaving voicemails begging him to talk to her, and that she arranged plane tickets which he refused to use. He only stopped ghosting her when she stopped trying. He’s clearly an abuser and a deeply toxic individual. How many decades should a woman keep trying to manage an abusive family member?

Don’t forget Meghan’s dad was/is estranged from all his children from both his families and has never met any of his grandchildren including his adult grandchildren. Clearly Meghan is not the problem here.

There's this strange societal desire to place parents on a pedestal - I guess we all have 'honour thy mother and father' drummed into us.

Becoming a parent does not infer some magical quality on you that overcomes all of your flaws and makes you a decent person.
Some parents are terrible. Some parents shouldn't be allowed to have contact with their children because they make their lives a misery.

Just being biologically related to someone doesn't give them the right to demand a social relationship with you.

Except they are clearly being made miserable now. So, no, they couldn't do that.

I honestly find the furore a bit baffling. The press keep claiming that The Royals have to put up with how they are treated because they get 'public money'. So members of the Royal family say, ok, we won't take 'public money', because we don't like how you treat us. Therefore we are no longer going to cooperate with you.

I understand exactly why the press are throwing their toys out of the pram, but I don't know why anyone else is bothered! 

It's not like they're even going to restrict access to the public - in fact, we're likely going to get more out of them via social media because it won't have to be given to the press they so clearly despise first. They're still going to carry out any royal duties that are requested of them.

What was the realistic alternative? Them privately putting up with it and ending up with all the problems people develop when they are miserable and feel like they have no control over their lives? Them getting divorced? 

Does anyone - other than the press and the odd racist - really want that?

Er......
didnt they go to Canada to visit her mum? I guess she wanted to hang with a real relative rather than someone who pretended to be....?

Actually no, I have to disagree with this. Both Meghan and Harry knew exactly what was expected of them when they married. Meghan was happy to move across the ocean, give up acting and dedicate herself to public service. Harry has had a lifetime to understand what was expected of him and could have stepped back at any time. Instead, he asked Meghan to join him on the journey he had already embarked on and together they agreed to that life.

I don't mind taxes going to the royal family at all, but the tax payer funded (I don't remember the split) their wedding and over £2 million allowing them to do up their UK home. Now they're supposedly going to split their time living else where in the world and only use their UK base occasionally. They have been married for less than two years, had millions of public funding and have basically announced they are stepping away from the senior role that afforded them the tax payer funding in the first place.

I accept that the press has been intrusive, but again, this was to be expected when they both decided to marry. It has always been a given that no matter who Harry married, the world's press (and especially the UK media) would go through every single aspect of her life and find whatever they could. They did it with Diana, they did it with Camilla and they did it with Kate. But as with all three, time, service and dedication to the crown pays off and you win the media and the public over. You put the work in. 

Meghan and Harry haven't done that over the last two years. They have called out the media in quite harsh terms and expect the media to take the scolding with grace (I'm not saying it wasn't justified, but talk about prodding the bear). They have done very little in the way of engagements and, yes, maternity leave is absolutely fine for royals too, but realistically I think most people expected Meghan to adapt and throw herself into British life and British culture. That is what she signed up and failed to deliver. 

I've nothing against them stepping away or becoming financially independent. It's more about how they've gone about it and the timing of it all. They have both commented about how the press have made them unhappy but you know what? Stop reading it, keep calm and carry on.

Members of a Neo Nazi group went to prison for making death threats against them and for inciting racial hatred. Meghan’s own half-sister has been put on Scotland Yard’s Fixated Persons list. Both the Daily Mail and the Sun have admitted to inventing stories about them. And that’s just what we’re aware of, it’s probably the tip of the iceberg.

Let’s not pretend this is just a few nasty comments online they can and should ignore. No one should have to ignore the obsessive hatred and abuse and outright racism Meghan has faced.

And....yet.....you decided to come onto the thread, read it and comment?! Shouldn’t you be putting out fires or something?