Harry and Meghan won't use titles 'royal highness'

LONDON－Goodbye, your royal highnesses. Hello, life as－almost－ordinary civilians.

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will no longer use the titles "royal highness" or receive public funds for their work under a deal that lets the couple step aside as working royals, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.

Releasing details of the dramatic split triggered by the couple's unhappiness with life under media scrutiny, the palace said Harry and Meghan will cease to be working members of the royal family when the new arrangements take effect in the "spring of 2020".

The radical break is more complete than the type of arrangement anticipated 10 days ago when the royal couple stunned Britain with an abrupt announcement that they wanted to step down. They said they planned to combine some royal duties with private work in a "progressive" plan, but that is no longer on the table.

Harry and Meghan will no longer use the titles His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness but will retain them, leaving the possibility that the couple might change their minds and return sometime in the future.

Harry's late mother, Diana, was stripped of the Her Royal Highness title when she and Prince Charles divorced.

The couple will be known as Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Harry will remain a prince and sixth in line to the British throne.

The agreement also calls for Meghan and Harry to repay 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) in taxpayers' money spent renovating a house for them near Windsor Castle, Frogmore Cottage. The use of public funds to transform the house's five separate apartments into a spacious single family home for them had raised ire in the British press. They will continue to use Frogmore Cottage as their base in England.

The deal came after days of talks among royals sparked by Meghan and Harry's announcement last week that they wanted to step down as senior royals and live part-time in Canada.

The couple's departure is a wrench for the royal family, and Queen Elizabeth II did say earlier this week that she wished the couple had wanted to remain full-time royals, but she had warm words for them in a statement on Saturday.

The 93-year-old queen said she was pleased that "together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family."

Despite the queen's kind words, the new arrangement will represent an almost complete break from life as working royals, especially for Harry. As a devoted Army veteran and servant to the crown, the prince carried out dozens of royal engagements each year.

Financial support

Royal expert and author Penny Junor said the new setup will benefit both sides of the family.

"There are no blurred lines. They are starting afresh and they are going with the queen's blessing, I think it is the best of all worlds," she said.

It is not yet clear whether Harry and Meghan will continue to receive financial support from Harry's father, Prince Charles, who uses revenue from the Duchy of Cornwall to help fund his activities and those of his wife and sons.

The duchy, chartered in 1337, produced more than 20 million pounds ($26 million) in revenue last year. It is widely regarded as private money, not public funds, so Charles may opt to keep details of its disbursal private. Much of the royals' wealth comes from private holdings.