Financial independence
In stepping back as senior royals, Harry and Meghan have announced they will no longer receive funding from the Sovereign Grant. The Sovereign Grant is public money - £82m in 2018-19 - which pays for the cost of official royal duties, in exchange for the surrender by the Queen of the revenue from the Crown Estate. The couple said the Sovereign Grant paid for 5% of their official office from 2019, with the remaining 95% being funded by Prince Charles through his income from the Duchy of Cornwall. The couple are classified as "internationally protected people", which means they must have armed security provided by the Metropolitan Police. They will retain Frogmore cottage, the Grade-2 listed property in Windsor that cost taxpayers £2.4m to renovate, as their official residence so they have a "place to call home" in the UK. Reaction to the couple's announcement from royal commentators has been mixed, with numerous questions over what their future royal roles will entail. Bryony Gordon, a Daily Telegraph journalist who knows and has interviewed the couple, suggested their decision could be linked to their mental health, after becoming a "punching bag" for a "misogynistic and racist" nation. Meghan spoke to ITV as part of a documentary last year Graham Smith, a spokesman for Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, said Harry and Meghan's decision "raises questions about the monarchy's future" and will prompt taxpayers to ask how the couple's extra security and overseas lifestyle will be funded. "This really is wanting to have your cake and eat it," he said. "They have said they will dip in and out of royal duties as it suits them but won't stop taking public money until they find other sources of income." Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said "we must continue to celebrate and support" the contribution the Royal Family makes to the UK, adding that it has an "important role in public service". However, Labour leadership candidate Clive Lewis said he believes there should be a referendum on the future of the Royal Family, adding: "A lot of people would like to see the monarchy scaled down." A happy memory of Canada? The moment in 1991 when Prince Harry and his brother were reunited with their mother in Toronto during an official visit In October last year, Meghan began legal action against the Mail on Sunday over a claim that it unlawfully published one of her private letters. The paper stands by its story. At the time, Prince Harry said: "Though we have continued to put on a brave face... I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been." And in an ITV documentary last year, Meghan, who was born in the US, described motherhood as a "struggle" due to intense interest from newspapers. On Wednesday the royal couple also announced they would also be adopting a "revised media approach" from the spring. It will see them "engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists". The National Union of Journalists criticised the plans, saying the move appears to try and "prevent the media from functioning and compromising the ability of journalists to do their jobs, which is completely unacceptable".DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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