Everything You Need to Know About 'The Royal Exit'

On Wednesday, January 8 The Sussexs annouced to the world via in official statement on their Instagram account (@SussexRoyal) that they would no longer be 'senior members' of the Royal Family and would be splitting their time between the UK and North America.

The statement read as follows:

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

The statement came only one day after Their Royal Highnesses returned to royal duties after at 6 week hiatus with a visit to Canada House in London.

The visit entailed meeting with the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Harry and Meghan has just returned from their 6 week holiday in Canada.

@SussexRoyal later revealed that the couple made a private visit to the Hubb Community Kitchen on the same day.

The day after the January 8 announcement, The Duchess was seen leaving from a private meeting with Mayhew Animal Home of which the Duchess was made patron of just one year prior in January 2019.  It was reported that The Duchess quickly jetted back to Canada after the meeting to 8-month-old Archie who reportedly did not return to the UK with his mum and dad. Instead, Archie had stayed in Canada with his nanny and Jessica Mulroney, Meghan's best friend. 

On January 13, after nearly a week of public speculation, her Majesty the Queen, Prince Charles, The Duke of Cambridge, and The Duke of Sussex reportedly met at Sandringham in what was dubbed a 'Royal Summit' to hash out the details of Harry and Meghan's royal futures.

The Duchesses of Sussex, Cambridge, and Cornwall were said to have not participated in the meeting. Prince Philip was also not part of the talks.

Following the 90-minute meeting, The Queen released the following official statement:

With more questions than answers, Meghan surfaced for the first time since the announcement boarding a seaplane in Canada on January 14.

We later learned that The Duchess was headed to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre on mainland Vancouver. The purpose of The Duchess's visit was to offer support and boost staff spirit.

The next day, Justice for Girls, tweeted that Meghan had also visited their charity.

Despite his uncertain royal future, on January 15, Prince Harry announced the 2022 Invictus Games will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany.

While Meghan was focusing on philanthropy post bombshell announcement, Harry was back to royal duties hosting the Rugby World Cup 2021 tournament draw at Buckingham Palace.

With her future still unclear, The Duchess was spotted picking up long-time friend Heather Dorak from the Victoria Airport in Canada on January 16.

The final word and agreement on what the Sussexes new life post Senior Royal status will look like came down from the Queen on January 18. All changes will be effective in Spring of this year.

• Harry and Meghan will keep their HRH titles, but will not use them nor will they be known solely as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They will be called Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex or Harry and Meghan. 
• Harry, who was born Prince of Wales. will remain a prince.
• Harry will remain 6th in line to the throne and Archie will remain 7th in line to the throne.

• They will no longer receive any public funds for royal duties they undertake in the future.
• Meghan and Harry will no longer formally represent the Queen
• The Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations.
• The Duke and Duchess plan to spend their most of their time in North America.

• The Queen is allowing the couple to continue to use Frogmore Cottage as their official residence in the UK. 
• The couple will pay back the 2.4m euros ($3.1m) of taxpayer money used to refurbish Frogmore Cottage.

• Harry will lose his official military appointments including Captain General of the Marines, Honorary Air Commandant Royal Air Force Honington, and Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving. 
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will lose their appointments as Commonwealth Youth Ambassadors.

• At this time, Harry and Meghan are expected to keep their positions as President and Vice President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust.
• The Duke of Sussex will continue to have royal duties until the new model takes effect in the Spring. 

• The couple will continue to receive private funds from Harry's father, Price Charles, through the Duchy of Cornwall fund (to a speculated amount of $2-$4m a year).
• Meghan and Harry are still members of the Royal Family, but non-working members.
• Arrangements and payment of personal security for the couple is not yet known.

See the official statement below:

Meghan and Harry's step back from the Royal Family and implementation of the new model was largely brought on by the couple's unhappiness with the intense media scrutiny. The new model will allow Harry, Meghan, and Archie to live more privately much like Harry's royal cousins Princess Eugenie, Peter Philips, Princess Beatrice, and Zara Tindall and their families.

Possibly most interesting, the new model will allow the couple to make money or earn an income in whatever way the want. Meghan is free to return to acting, the couple can to partner with their celebrity friends on different business opportunities, get paid for interviews, write books, do paid appearances, etc.

Reports say Harry is set to fly back to Canada and his wife and child early this week.

Hot Coats for Cold Weather

Ladylike coats are prefect for winter this year. Try dressy details such as a shawl color, ruffles, or bows!

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Military coats are tried and true. Shiny buttons are a staple of this classic, but can be made modern with an asymmetrical cut or zippers!

Good Reads: Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

They were the most prominent American family of the twentieth century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference. Joe and Rose Kennedy’s strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the Queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet, Rosemary was intellectually disabled — a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family.  Major new sources — Rose Kennedy’s diaries and correspondence, school and doctors' letters, and exclusive family interviews — bring Rosemary alive as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then — as the family’s standing reached an apex — the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early twenties. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe’s decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three, and the family's complicity in keeping the secret.

My Thoughts:

This is a heartbreaking story of parents who expected nothing less than perfection from their children and who cared about the family image above anything else and put their desires above everyone else's.

Rosemary was born into the world as the third Kennedy child and first daughter after a horrific labor. Rose Kennedy was made to squeeze her legs closed by the nurse on duty during her home birth to delay the arrival of her baby while waiting for the doctor to show up, and when that didn't work, the nurse held Rosemary's head and forced her back in the birth canal for two hours. The only word I can use to describe Rosemary's life from the start and until her death in 2005 is tragic.

After realizing their daughter was intellectually disabled, Joe, Sr. and Rose had her in and out of boarding schools from early childhood and in to early adulthood to keep her being institutionalized  (which was common practice for mentally challenged and low IQ individuals at this time). Rose would often not disclose the true nature of Rosemary's limitations, such as low self esteem, problems with writing and reading, and aggressive mood swings prior to Rosemary's acceptances in these schools which ultimately set her daughter up for failure. In the 1920s and 30s treatment for people with disabilities and mental illnesses was limited as the medical and educational communities were profoundly ignorant.

Although almost everyone was ignorant about the disabilities Rosemary presented with, I was disgusted by her parents' actions. First, the denial that anything was wrong, and second, the lies to get her in to schools that were not equipped to accommodate her needs. I was enraged how they hid her in these boarding schools as to not disrupt her father's political aspirations, her mother's social climbing, and the family's position in both American and international society. Rose's extended vacations (6-8 weeks away from the family) showed a lack of concern for all of her children and Joe's womanizing and Nazi sympathizing doesn't say much about his parenting. The theme of Rosemary wanting to please her family was found throughout the book. It was so sad for me that the people she wanted to love her the most were the ones who hurt and disappointed her the most.

Ultimately, after Joe Kennedy, Sr. felt all other options were exhausted, he opted for Rosemary to undergo a brand new medical procedure called a prefrontal lobotomy. It was Joe Sr.'s sole decision, with very meager research on the procedure and without consulting his wife, that led to the end of Rosemary's livelihood at just 23 years old. Rosemary emerged from the lobotomy almost completely disabled. It erased years of emotional, physical, and intellectual development. Although with therapy Rosemary was able to regain some abilities (such as walking and minimal talking), for the remainder of her life she required constant care. She lived out the rest of her life, over 60 years, at St. Coletta, an institution in Wisconsin.

This was a well researched, straight forward book that is a must read for anyone who is interested in American history, especially those interested those who are interested in learning more about the Kennedy family past JFK, RFK, and Jackie. Although it was sometimes sad and a sometimes enraging read, it did make me thankful for how far our country has come in the treatment of those with mental illness and the intellectually disabled.