Best Reactions to Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Effectively Quitting the Royal Family
"Wait, how do I resign from MY family?"


In a shocking, if not entirely unsurprising, decision, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced on Wednesday that they are effectively quitting the royal family. In a statement, the duo—who had just returned from a six-week break spent on Vancouver Island, away from the cutthroat U.K. press—said: "We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent."
While the couple had made clear that they were unhappy—"Not many people have asked if I’m okay," Meghan had said tearfully in new documentary Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, and Harry and William had publicly fallen out—the news is still unprecedented. "Feels pretty damaging to the whole ethos and purpose of the royal family if you can just, like, quit being part of it," commented BuzzFeed reporter Rosie Gray.
And Twitter, of course, had a lot to say about the decision.
There were some great jokes.
The only way for Prince William to compete with this is to start wearing a wigJanuary 8, 2020
Meghan finally got around to watching “Get Out” over the holidays. https://t.co/f82PQU2hVyJanuary 8, 2020
i am also working to become financially independentJanuary 8, 2020
Northwestern graduate moving closer to home after spending time abroad https://t.co/TZ18eIOXdQJanuary 8, 2020
This is my FAVORITE heist. The woman straight up stole a prince. Incredible. ✨January 8, 2020
Here’s the actual note Meghan left on the Queen’s desk. pic.twitter.com/m58NibXhQEJanuary 8, 2020
People flocked to support the newly independent family.
We stan a financially independent woman who looks out for herself, her family, and her mental and emotional health!! pic.twitter.com/Ug38cWdT0ZJanuary 8, 2020
All Americans rn re: Meghan Markle and Harry pic.twitter.com/MRidrfx3GYJanuary 8, 2020
There were questions about whether Meghan would return to acting.
And questions about their new status.
MAKE IT HARRY MARKLE AS IT SHOULD BE https://t.co/K9MixDgrVHJanuary 8, 2020
Many people (rightly) blamed the British tabloids.
Good for Meghan and Harry opting out of the UK tabloids staggering racism and the lack of support from the royal family. They will be fine.January 8, 2020
Daily Mail:Meghan you avocado eating bitch you are FUELING MURDERDaily Mail tomorrow:Why are you leaving, you were the people’s prince and princess-January 8, 2020
People think Diana would be proud.
All I can say is Princess Diana and Doria Ragland raised their children with immense love and good values, and it shows.#REXIT#MeghanAndHarry pic.twitter.com/1j0sqMkL6pJanuary 8, 2020
princess diana in heaven right now https://t.co/nbN8sfZ65dJanuary 8, 2020
Also? This is going to be a great plotline in The Crown.
Can't wait for season 6 of The Crown, in which Meghan could play herself.January 8, 2020
writers for The Crown vs. writers for Suits pic.twitter.com/nJavWHpr8WJanuary 8, 2020
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Jenny is the Digital Director at Marie Claire. A graduate of Leeds University, and a native of London, she moved to New York in 2012 to attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She was the first intern at Bustle when it launched in 2013 and spent five years building out its news and politics department. In 2018 she joined Marie Claire, where she held the roles of Deputy Digital Editor and Director of Content Strategy before becoming Digital Director. Working closely with Marie Claire's exceptional editorial, audience, commercial, and e-commerce teams, Jenny oversees the brand's digital arm, with an emphasis on driving readership. When she isn't editing or knee-deep in Google Analytics, you can find Jenny writing about television, celebrities, her lifelong hate of umbrellas, or (most likely) her dog, Captain. In her spare time, she writes fiction: her first novel, the thriller EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, was published with Minotaur Books (UK) and Little, Brown (US) in February 2024 and became a USA Today bestseller. She has also written extensively about developmental coordination disorder, or dyspraxia, which she was diagnosed with when she was nine.
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