Harry and Meghan will stop using 'royal highness' titles and repay housing expenses, palace says

Queen Elizabeth on Saturday announced details of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's future following their bombshell announcement that they were stepping back as senior members of the royal family.

As part of the deal, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will stop using their HRH titles (His Royal Highness, Her Royal Highness) as they are "no longer working members of the Royal Family," Buckingham Palace announced Saturday. They 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.

They will also repay the Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, which will continue to be their family home in the UK. The home was renovated with 2.4 million pounds ($3.06 million) of taxpayers’ money, royal accounts revealed last year.

"Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family," the Queen said in a statement issued Saturday.

While the Sussexes will no longer formally represent the Queen, they will continue to "uphold the values," of Her Majesty.

"I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family," the Queen said in the statement.

The palace said Harry and Meghan will cease to be working members of the royal family when the new arrangements take effect within months, in the “spring of 2020.”

Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be beloved members of the family, the Queen added in the statement. She noted that she recognizes the challenges the young family has faced as a result of "intense scrutiny."

"It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life."

Saturday's announcement followed Monday's crisis summit at Sandringham with the queen, Harry's father, Prince Charles, and his older brother, Prince William, plus their top staffers.

After the summit, the queen, who rarely issues statements about family matters, described the discussions on the future of "my grandson and his family" as "constructive."

The couple dropped their bombshell announcement earlier this month. In it, they said they intended to step back as "senior" members of the royal family, split their time between the United Kingdom and North America and work toward becoming financially independent.

"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," the statement reads.

They added that they would continue to support the Queen and that the new geographic arrangement would allow their son, Archie, to be raised "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."

Since they shared their intentions, British tabloids have described the situation as "Megxit." To some, it may have seemed surprising that the Queen has reacted in a calm manner.

But some royal experts were unsurprised, such as Sally Bedell Smith, the acclaimed American biographer of the queen and Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana.

"People tend to lose sight of the fact that behind the queen's devotion to duty and reverence for tradition, she is a broad-minded and careful listener who is adept at solving problems," Smith said. "The queen keeps a laser focus on preserving and modernizing the monarchy, but she is equally committed to ensuring that Harry is happy."

Contributing: Maria Puente, Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Royal family: Harry, Meghan will drop HRH titles, stop palace funds