By Liv Moore

Although the royal family holds no real political power over the United Kingdom, they still hold a special place in the hearts of the public. It came as a shock to the world when two members of the royal family announced that they wanted to “‘step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family.’” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their announcement without consulting anyone else. Their decision came from their wanting to spend more time near Meghan’s family in North America. 

Meghan and Harry were married in May, 2018 and their marriage hasn’t been without controversy. Their wedding had an African-american bishop and a gospel choir, which made many people of color in Britain feel like they had representation in the royal family. Many racist and sexist comments have been made about Meghan Markle, with Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show” speaking out against U.K media for their racism towards Meghan. Many speculate racism played a huge role in their wanting to leave. Harry has even put out a statement about the “‘racial undertones’” of the tabloids and media. 

Harry has been very vocal about wanting to protect his wife from the same fate that his mother suffered, feels that taking a step back is the right thing for them to do, but what does this mean for the other royals? Prince William has already been given a new role since his brother left the U.K. and the other royal duties could be given to Princesses, Beatrice and Eugine, however the Queen has not released any statements yet about their final decision, but one thing is for sure, there are mixed emotions.