# Prince Harry and Meghan "Quitting " royal family **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139 "2020-01-08T20:18:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/81 "2020-01-09T20:36:34Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > No, because they’re not all solo engagements. … > . Fine. I was attempting only the roughest of rough estimates. I’m sure multiple royals show for most occasions. But I also believe there are more than 10 “official” royals. And some - such as the Queen and Charlie, might participate in more than their share of the 2000. And, I wonder how “occasions” are counted. For example, on the day of a wedding, is the entire day a single occasion? Or is the procession to the chapel, the ceremony, the ride home, the reception(s?), photo sessions, whatever - all counted separately? However they are counted/doled out, I never got the impression that any of the Royals were exactly overworked, or deprived of a fair share of comfortable leisure. Anyone else feel like a week at the Scottish castle for grouse shooting? :smack: Maybe plan it to coincide w/ a railroad station ribbon-cutting, to make it an official occasion (and, undoubtedly, expense as much as possible.) I have limited sympathy for someone marrying into the family. They know what they are in for, and presumably thought the exchange worthwhile. Of course, if The Crown in any way resembles life, it seems like even after abdicating, an ex-royal could live a pretty comfortable life of leisure. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/82 "2020-01-09T21:00:59Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Er, since it was The Queen that gave Harry his title in the first place, can’t she take it away as well? Remember what her father did with Edward VIII. That’s a little different; Edward VIII abdicated, which means he voluntarily gave up being King. As I understand it, once that happened, he was just regular old Edward Windsor until his brother George VI (the new King) created him Duke of Windsor. To some degree, this was to thwart any political ambition in Commons that Edward may have had. ISTR that taking away a title is a much bigger deal than granting one; it’s not at Elizabeth’s whim; based on historical precedent (Titles Deprivation Act 1917), it would take an act of Parliament to strip Harry of his title. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/83 "2020-01-09T21:11:51Z")
Personally, I say the less we see of H&M the better. Fortunately he’s not in any danger of becoming the sovereign. Will and Kate far outclass the both of them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/84 "2020-01-09T21:15:34Z")
How does it work that “they are prohibited from earning any income in any form.” :dubious: No income from work I can see, as being a royal **was** their job. But she had residual rights from her acting, as already mentioned, not to mention interest from the financial assets (bank accounts, stock, etc.) that an upper-middle-class person would surely have accumulated in her pre-royal life. Did she have to sign over all her income-generating property and contractual rights when she became a royal? If so, would she get them back with this change? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/85 "2020-01-09T21:32:57Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > They are going to make a mint on their own. > > Remember, Kylie Jenner became a billionaire at 21 just because she is “famous for being famous”. > > Meghan is going to put Paltrow and Goop to shame marketing stuff. Harry will be a good face for the bit about “part of the sale price goes to charity” thing. I can’t imagine them doing what Kylie Jenner or Gwyneth Paltrow did, as that would involve them selling stuff. Don’t the upper crust types consider that vulgar? Googling, the Prince of Wales has food products sold under the Duchy Originals label, but all profits go to charity. That’s like the approach taken by Paul Newman’s company and its brands. Somehow not keeping the profits makes it cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/86 "2020-01-09T22:08:14Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Fine. I was attempting only the roughest of rough estimates. I’m sure multiple royals show for most occasions. But I also believe there are more than 10 “official” royals. And some - such as the Queen and Charlie, might participate in more than their share of the 2000. And, I wonder how “occasions” are counted. For example, on the day of a wedding, is the entire day a single occasion? Or is the procession to the chapel, the ceremony, the ride home, the reception(s?), photo sessions, whatever - all counted separately? I don’t believe the wedding would count at all, since it’s a “family” occasion rather than an official engagement undertaken on behalf of the Crown. (A royal attending a foreign wedding as the British representative would be counted, however. At the 2010 wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden, the Earl and Countess of Wessex represented Her Majesty, but it’s only listed as a single engagement in the Court Circular, and they combined it with a visit to a British naval vessel visiting Stockholm.) The full-time royals (at least until yesterday) were the Queen, Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, Edward and Sophie Wessex, Anne, and Harry and Meghan (ten people). Philip, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Alexandra all occasionally appear, but they are all elderly and at least semi-retired (Philip is 98, the Gloucesters are in their mid-70s, and the Kents are in their 80s.) Andrew is out now as well. A few others (Beatrice and Eugenie and the Michaels of Kent) make a handful of appearances, but they’ve never been full-time members of the Firm. Here are the engagements for yesterday: - The Princess Royal attended the Oxford Farming Conference Debate at Oxford Union. - The Earl of Wessex as Trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award attended the Staff Conference at Warwick University, and then in the evening attended a reception and concert in London in his role as patron of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra - The Duke of Cambridge attended a meeting of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (he’s the president) - The Duchess of Cambridge held an “Early Years Meeting” on behalf of their foundation Since this is the slow time of year, I picked a random date last spring (16 May 2019) and looked to see who was doing what: - Princess Alexandra attended a Reception and Dinner to launch the Richmond Park Heritage Centre - The Princess Royal received the chief executive and one of the fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, then attended the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, of which she is patron, then went to a council meeting for St. George’s House, a lecture in St. George’s Chapel, and a dinner at Windsor Castle - The Earl of Wessex was in North Macedonia, where he met with that country’s president, visited a kindergarten for a United Nations Children’s Fund presentation, attended a Sustainability Exhibition and Inclusivity Performance, then met with members of the North Macedonian Parliament. He then flew to Croatia, for a welcoming ceremony at the airport, a tour of the Old Town of Split, a meeting with the Croatian Minister of Culture, and a dinner marking the tenth anniversary of Croatia joining NATO - The Duke of York visited a telecom building in South Korea before flying back home to London - The Prince of Wales went to Food and Drink Awards at Fortnum and Mason, received the colonel of the Royal Regiment of Canada, held an investiture at Buckingham Palace, and then hosted a concert and dinner at Windsor on behalf of the Royal College of Music. - The Duchess of Cornwall opened the new barns and galleries at the Charleston Trust in Sussex, then opened a therapy program for vulnerable youth, then attended a reception for the East Sussex Women of the Year, finishing her day with a visit to a wine estate in her role as president of the Wines of Great Britain. - The Queen held two investitures and received the outgoing and incoming commandants of the Royal Air Force. - The Duke of Edinburgh received the Secretary General of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/87 "2020-01-09T22:28:30Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I’ve heard there’s a good living to be made doing Hallmark movies. Enough so that you can bribe pretty good universities to take your idiot children. Think of it! Hallmark can make “A Prince/Princess For Christmas” films with an ACTUAL Prince/Princess! ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/88 "2020-01-10T01:55:46Z")
So I’m reading online a lot of speculation that Harry should become Governor General of Canada. Does this strike anyone as a legit option? For what it’s worth, the current Governor General did about 200 official occasions her first year. ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/89 "2020-01-10T02:11:39Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I’m all for people having their own lives, and Harry has expressed unhappiness about the road before him for a long time, but the new arrangements they’ve laid out sound destined to end in tears. > > They’re free to call themselves whatever they like, just like anyone else is, but Harry is a duke until the day he dies, and Meghan is therefore a duchess for the duration of the marriage (which obviously is hoped to be for life) plus any possible widowhood, and the only way to change that is to change the law to allow peers of the realm to disclaim their titles at any time (right now, they can only do it if they inherited the title, and only within a year). He could cease to be a prince and HRH, though. Actually, I read elsewhere that because Meehan is not British she cannot be called Duchess, only wife of Duke ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/90 "2020-01-10T02:14:55Z")
That’s not true. The official website calls her Duchess of Sussex. ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/91 "2020-01-10T02:22:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > 2000 official engagements annually, not 200. And while it sounds like that’s ridiculous work, many ordinary people are like Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances and want to attend an event at which a royal is appearing, even if that means contributing money. At the very least, their attendance draws attention to a worthy cause. > > And yes, it’s not real work like digging ditches, but they have to stand there, be personable, and talk to many, many people without seeming to be annoyed or bored. I’d rather dig ditches. (At least you can swear when you’re pissed off.) I recently read the rigid roles ( Meghan has to walk BEHIND her husband entering a room) and appearance regulations (ex: how to cross legs, only clear nail polish, hat always in public, hair styles, etc). What modern American woman wants to be that restricted? Poster who said she “knew” what she was getting is probably wrong until it happened. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/92 "2020-01-10T02:34:54Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > So I’m reading online a lot of speculation that Harry should become Governor General of Canada. Does this strike anyone as a legit option? For what it’s worth, the current Governor General did about 200 official occasions her first year. I don’t think Canadians would be too happy with their GG living in LA. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/93 "2020-01-10T02:53:06Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Prince Harry has come down hard on the media, saying, “You killed my mother.” > > He’s protecting his own. Can’t blame him. > ~VOW I have a feeling Harry has been planning to leave the country ever since Princess Diana was killed. Now he has the chance, and with an American wife, why not. Good for him. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/94 "2020-01-10T03:02:27Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > So I’m reading online a lot of speculation that Harry should become Governor General of Canada. Does this strike anyone as a legit option? For what it’s worth, the current Governor General did about 200 official occasions her first year. No, not really. It used to be somewhat common for a royal to be appointed as governor general of a dominion (the Queen’s uncle, another Prince Henry, was GG of Australia in the 1940s, e.g., while Victoria’s younger son Prince Arthur held the Canadian post in the 1910s), but the idea of a non-citizen in the role doesn’t seem to have any real support anymore, regardless of who that non-citizen is. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/95 "2020-01-10T03:07:43Z")
Good for them, though part of me believes that this is a chess move designed to get the press to back the hell off. The message is pretty clear: Either play nice with us, or we’ll just pack up our marbles and find a new sandbox. I don’t know what it is with the UK press that they treat people the way they do, but they are as vicious as any terrorist. Royals and celebrities are hunted like animals. Elton John wrote in his autobiography that he likes living in the US because nobody hounds him here. In his younger days, the press dug through his trash and published his personal stuff (such as bank statements), and published stolen photos of him engaged in sex acts. They’ve been horrendous to Megan since the marriage and I love that Harry is backing her and doing what’s right for his family instead of kowtowing to people who’ll chide him for walking away from his duty. I’m amused thinking of the tabloid writers and photographers after hearing the announcement. How will they earn a living should their two favorite pawns pull up stakes and move to the US? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/96 "2020-01-10T03:25:53Z")
Why assume that the reporters would leave them alone if they move to North America? My guess is that they’d continue to follow them around, photograph them and report on them. ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/97 "2020-01-10T03:32:46Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That’s not true. The official website calls her Duchess of Sussex. my bad, I should have said “Princess” ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/98 "2020-01-10T03:39:10Z")
**slask2k** , I will bow out of this discussion, as you clearly know far more than I care to. I’m not sure that I’ve been persuaded that the royals are exactly overworked and underpaid, tho. How much time/effort does it take to “receive” or “meet” someone? Just curious, as for the date you mention, how many “occasions” would the Wessex dude’s Macedonian and Croatian activities constitute? And rather than an isolated day or even week, a true picture would require seeing how many days in a row one of them worked, how many days out of the year, how many stretches went without official occasions. I mean, if someone told me I could have an all-expense trip to wherever, staying in luxury hotels, eating the finest foods, but sometime during the trip I’d have to cut a ribbon or meet with some people, I’m not sure most working stiffs would consider that excessively onerous. But, like I said, I really should step out of this, because the British royal family is pretty high on the list of things I really don’t care about, and don’t understand why so many people do. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/99 "2020-01-10T03:40:49Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > King of the Netherlands is a pilot for KLM even after he became king. He flies 737s. This only became public in 2017 after he had been with KLM for 21 years. > > [Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem-Alexander_of_the_Netherlands) He’s not a British royal. Harry and Meghan are adults and can do whatever they want. I realize the consequences are huge, but they appear to consider them to be the better alternative. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139/100 "2020-01-10T05:25:45Z")
> [@fedman](#): > > my bad, I should have said “Princess” She is a princess, because her husband is a prince. She is not called princess, but her nationality is irrelevant to that. Her sister-in-law is British and treated the same way as far as her title goes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-harry-and-meghan-quitting-royal-family/846139.md?page=6)