On January 8th, 2020, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex made public their decision to step back as the senior members of the British royal family. The couple announced in an Instagram post that the family would be their splitting time between North America and Britain. The couple also announced that they planned to eventually become financially independent from the rest of the Royal Family. This decision sent shock waves throughout the world, as the plan was announced suddenly with no advance. Junior Olivia Delgado was surprised herself, mostly because she thought it was “a pointless and silly move.” History teacher Javier Ergueta agreed, saying that “I can’t believe that the news is focusing on this instead of the major things taking place around the world at this moment.”

     Nevertheless, the news was the header to newspapers all across the world, and reporters dubbed the event “Megxit”. When asked about their decision to leave the Royal Family, Meghan and Harry put great stress on the fact that they wanted to live a private life away from the constant public eye. From the time Prince Harry was a child, his name and his face have been printed in newspapers, magazines, and online, and it seems pretty sensible to want a life he’s never been able to live. In the past, the Royal Family has had a strained relationship with the press; paparazzi are widely considered to be responsible for the death of Prince Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales In a tragic car accident in 1997. This has caused resentment from the Royal Family towards the press, with due reason.

     One of the reasons that the couple cited in their statement to seek autonomy was to “enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born.” This has been a problem for the couple recently, as there has been a number of rumors from inside sources believing that the couple is being driven out by the harsh commentary of the press and the pressure of the other members of the Royal Family. One idea presented by the press is the idea that Meghan has been pressuring Harry out of his role since their marriage in 2018, hence the name Megxit. In a statement released by Prince Harry on January 19th, Harry referenced that the decision he made was very difficult, but “there really was no other option.” This statement aimed to shoot down any idea that Meghan was behind the whole plan, also referencing that the decision came after months of deliberation.

      Despite their strong words, the whole devised plan was not well regarded upon by the family, as neither Harry’s father nor grandmother was never enlightened of the original plan. This made the decision event more devastating to a family who has been in power for generations to this point. Whether you like their decision or not, it is clear that the decision is highly controversial and could pose problems that take down the Royal family in the future. On January 18th of this year, the agreement became official, that the two would no longer be members of the Royal family, and would lose their title of royal highnesses. The agreement will not become official until sometime in the spring. Meghan and Harry’s descent from the crown marks a historic time in Britain. As the couple follows in Edward’s and Wallis’ footsteps historians and people all around the world will be intrigued as to what the future holds for the soon to be