the queen with another of her troubled
progeny Prince Andrew this morning going
to church near her Sandringham Estate
remember this the nation welcoming
Prince Harry's new wife into the heart
of the monarchy but two years in and
they wants out and the new arrangements
are now clear Harry and Meagan will no
longer represent the Queen but she said
they will always be much-loved members
of her family now this is far from an
abdication but it has got the nation
talking there are those whose sympathies
lie with the Queen and the institution
of the monarchy itself there are those
whose sympathies lie of course with
Harry and Meghan and there are others
who are wondering why should I care well
look beyond the palace gates and the
National psychodrama and see a very
human story the Prime Minister wishing
them all well I think the whole country
will want to join in wishing them the
very best future I said before that I
was sure that the the royal family has
been around a very long time we'll find
a way forward and I'm sure it well but
one step forward and then it's back to
the soap opera Meghan's
estranged father who of course never
made it to the wedding and may yet
testify against her in her legal case
against the newspaper was interviewed
shortly before last night deal don't
expect a new family photo shoot anytime
soon this is like one of the greatest
long long living institutions ever
they're destroying it they're keeping me
there making it shabby they're turning
it into a Walmart with a crown on it now
it's not it's not it's something that's
ridiculous they shouldn't be doing this
that Harry has to give up his military
titles will sting him but there are
serious wider questions to who will pay
for their security how will their
charities be affected one of the
implications for other
Royals who may also want to step back
and how will they earn a living the
danger for the palace the worry for the
palace is that they will go into
commercial activity that looks a bit
tacky
you know megundal's or fashion shoots
and the problem for the palace of about
that is that royal family is all about
image they're all about the royal brand
and if Harry and Megan go and do things
in Los Angeles or an America that look a
bit tacky that will dilute the royal
brand and weaken the monarchy as a whole
I think you know it will prompt the
British public to reevaluate what the
monarchy stands for what members of the
royal family do the way they do it and
you know British opinion as to how much
freedom remembers the real family should
be allowed to have them they are human
beings after all and you know from what
we've seen a lot of the British public
support Harry Meccans decision to go off
and do something a little bit different
a new kind of life now beckons shuffling
between Canada the States and the UK
without the support of the British
taxpayer but with the blessing of the
Queen well joining me now the historian
and author professor Kate Williams now
that we know what's happening how much
of this is actually worthy of academic
study how much will make it into the
history books I do think that in 100
years time the Royal historians the
historians are going to be looking at
this moment as a seismic moment for the
royal family because really the royal
family it has exactly the Queen expanded
the royal family very greatly when she
came to the throne in 1950s before that
minor world's div a little she expanded
it it was the firm and it was really
given sold to us as one big happy family
well we've seen the romantic dramas
behind the scenes and now this is a
young couple saying actually with only
two years after the wedding the royal
goldfish bowl is too much the pressure
is too much and it's really I think it's
suggesting that we need a new way
forward for quite a lot of the members
of the monarchy what it wasn't asked to
thee yes it's a gilded cage yes there's
wealth and privilege beyond anything any
of us could ever imagine but the
scrutiny the the press intrusion the
struggle that you have
it's clearly been too much for this
couple and they've been they felt it's
untenable to continue when you look at
the sort of the deal
you know they step away from being
senior Royals they stop representing the
Queen and so they stopped using HRH they
stopped getting public money
Prince Harry loses his military titles
yeah we saw Prince Andrew today who's
also stepped back from royal duties
because of a controversy surrounding his
friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and we
should say he denies any wrongdoing to
do with that yeah he keeps it all well
this is a really interesting question
this is one I think a lot of us been
asking because the statement said that
Harry and Megan were keeping their HRH
title but not using it because they were
no longer working Royals and of course
we all say what about the other
non-working Royals chief among them is
Prince Andrew he has stepped back for we
were told the foreseeable future given
up all his patronage is how he and Megan
are keeping their private patch news we
probably will see how him Megan's still
with their charities however the
Invictus games so what about Andrew
who's giving up everything why and
stepped back why is he still your royal
highness and I think this is a really
crucial question and certainly as you
say Andrews denied everything
finished business but but there was you
know at some point the treatment of
Megan last year was so intense and so in
fair they seemed to be some in our
society more concerned about the color
of Megan's nail varnish than they were
about the fact that Andrew had seized
links to this convicted pedophile a week
ago you were here saying you thought
that they could probably get what they
wanted they could have this sort of I
was role and the Queen has clearly said
no you can't well I have to say they
clearly wanted to half way and a half
hour troll that's what the website and
the statement suggested when they put it
out on that bombshell Wednesday at a
quarter to seven that's what we weren't
expected but clearly the Queen although
it was of a warm statement has made her
decision that it's you're all the way
out and I think it would be very hard
for Harry to lose his royal patronage is
of course they will have independence
but I do think that you know the royal
family have lost two superstars these
two young people had a lot of star power
they attracted a demographic that
normally come into the war family young
diverse the Commonwealth and I think a
lot of people are going to be incredibly
disappointed this is a big moment to
look for Britain to look at itself and
say what have we done the first woman of
color to marry into the war family and
she's been essentially chased out Kay
Williams thank you very much indeed
thank you