Royal farewell: Harry, Meghan on final duty before new life

It’s definitely a farewell. But will it be fond?

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will fulfill ir final royal commitment when

service marks end of a two-month drama that began when couple anunced plans to walk away from ir roles as senior members of Britain's royal family and into a world where y will have to earn a living, pay ir own way and even open some doors for mselves.

It's uncharted territory for House of Windsor, even as family seeks to downsize.

"I think this is a blow because I don’t think ( Windsors) would have envisd that slimmed-down monarchy would have actually meant that re was role for Meghan and Harry,’’ said Pauline Maclaran, co-author of “Royal Fever: British Monarchy in Consumer Culture.” “I mean, y really brought a new dimension to royal family brand."

It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

Less than two years ago, Harry and Meghan were seen as a golden couple that would help extend royal family's appeal to a new generation. ir wedding on May 19, 2018, united a grandson of 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II with former Meghan Markle, a bi-racial American actress who h starred for seven years on U.S. television series "Suits.'' George Clooney, Serena Williams and Elton John attended ir wedding at Windsor Castle, which ended with royal couple kissing for ir flag-waving fans and riding through streets in a horse-drawn carri.

But horses were barely back at stable before pressures intensified on couple, who became Duke and Duchess of Sussex on ir wedding day.

Even before ceremony, Britain's tabloid newspapers featured stories about a rift between Meghan and her far. When Meghan became pregnant, some commentators criticized her for jetting off to New York for a baby shower, a strange American trition to many in Britain. Ors lampooned Meghan's politically correct prouncements on environment and women's rights.

Meghan's supporters saw racism at work. Harry publicly defended his wife and directed his anger at intrusive media he has resented all his life because of paparazzi’s role in chasing his mor, Princess Diana, on night in 1997 when she died in a Paris car accident.

prince himself was stung by media reports of a split between him and his older bror, Prince William. tion that brors and ir glamorous wives would be a royal "Fab Four'' for 21st century began to fe.

“For me, and for my wife, of course re's a lot of stuff that hurts, especially when majority of it is untrue,'' Harry, 35, told ITV News last fall. ”I will t be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum.''

n in January, couple sparked a royal crisis when y revealed that y intended to step back from ir duties as senior members of royal family. move came after holiday pictures were released of queen along with son Prince Charles, grandson Prince William and great-grandson Prince George. future was pictured and Harry wasn't part of it.

In a personal statement, Harry and Meghan revealed that y intended to become “financially independent” and "balance” ir time between U.K. and rth America, while continuing to hor and serve queen. y wanted, in essence, to be part-time royals.

Hours later, Buckingham Palace issued a statement hinting that this part-time tion h caught some in royal household by surprise. Discussions with Duke and Duchess, it said, were “at an early st.″

With his ginger hair, close-cropped beard and easy manner, Harry h become one of royal family's most popular members after shedding hard-partying im of his youth. youngest son of Charles and late Princess Diana, Harry is sixth in line to throne, after his far, William and William's three children. More importantly, he and William were seen as a new generation who would modernize royals.

But re's

Anguish followed dueling anuncements.

Aggrieved taxpayers insisted that Harry and Meghan repay 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) of public money spent to revate house in Windsor where y h planned to live. ir social media feeds, rmally full of heart-shaped emoticons, were flooded with ill-tempered commentary about ir decision to abandon Britain.

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Finally, queen stepped in: Harry and Meghan would stop carrying out royal duties in March, would pay back revation costs and would receive public money after y stepped aside. While Harry and Meghan would always be part of royal family, y won't be allowed to use word "royal'' to earn a living.

That meant couple h

So, what w?

Well to start with,

But or issues remain: how will Harry and Meghan earn a living and who will pay for ir security, which has until w been financed by U.K. taxpayers?

couple are expected to earn ir keep at least partly through speaking engments — sort of like Obamas. y alrey spoke at a JPMorgan investment conference last month in Florida, but it isn't kwn wher y were paid.

Simon Morgan, a former royal protection officer, estimates ir security costs at "several million'' pounds a year.

“When you look at royal family, ir security pack is very much built on a model from crle to grave,'' said Morgan, director of operations and training for security firm Trojan Consultancy. ”It's built on an element of rapport and trust ... when we talk about cost, initial setup of that team will be quite important."

But many royal watchers are more interested in what caused this seismic shift in British monarchy. Some blame Meghan, who mitted last year

38-year-old Los Angeles native gruated from rthwestern University and carved out a career in movies and television long before she met Harry. couple’s first child, Archie, was born in May 2019.

Harry and Meghan’s agreement with queen calls for ir decision to be revisited in a year. y may choose to return to front-line duties, where ir super-celebrity status allows m to highlight ir favorite causes.

But will y miss it? Harry alluded to his own bond with British military during a speech supporting Endeavour Fund, which helps wounded service personnel use sports to recover from ir injuries.

“A lot of you tonight have told me you have my back,’’ he said in a veiled reference to his royal struggles. “Well I’m also here to tell you, I’ve always got yours.’’