Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Planning to ‘Step Back’ As Senior Members of the Royal Family

Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have always been ones to go against tradition—royal tradition that is. And now they’re taking it one step further—or shall we say, a step back?

The two just announced that they will be stepping back from being senior members of the royal family. They will splitting their time between the United Kingdom and North America and hope to become a financially independent family.

The announcement was made via Instagram, which stated:

“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.”

The reason? It has a lot to do with their son, Archie.

“This geographic balance will 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,” the statement continued.

They teased their new endeavor by saying details will be coming shortly:

“We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”

To hear more from the soon-to-be “ex” royals and what they mean by stepping back, check out the video below.

Would you ever think a royal couple would make such a drastic move? What do you think of Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down?