Yahoo News Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dismissed as 'pretty irrelevant' by royal commentator Penny Junor as UK battles coronavirus
Harry and Meghan’s departures as senior royal makes them now “pretty irrelevant” as the UK battles the coronavirus pandemic, according to a legendary royal commentator.
Penny Junor said the royal family and the UK as a whole were now focussing on more crucial matters than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who officially walk away from the monarchy on Tuesday.
Harry and Meghan are thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, preparing to step down as working royals, earn their own money and set up a not-for-profit organisation.
The situation will be reviewed by the monarchy in 12 months, leaving the door open in case of a change of heart,
But Ms Junor said: “I think for the time being Harry and Meghan probably will become a distant memory.
“It’s very sad.”
On Sunday Donald Trump said the US would not be paying for the couple’s security now they had moved to California. Harry and Meghan later said they had made “privately-funded” arrangements.
The Queen is expected to speak to the nation in a televised address, the Prince of Wales has coronavirus, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are supporting an initiative to boost the nation’s mental health during lockdown.
Ms Junor said: “The royal family definitely has a role to play in crises like this.
“It’s a great morale boost to have words from the Queen or words from William and to watch his children clapping the NHS workers. It’s important.
“The monarchy does represent the nation to itself. They are there to express our emotions.
“Prince Charles has got the disease so he’s in there with us all.
“All of this is absolutely what the family is about and those members of the royal family that are on a limb now are pretty irrelevant.”
Harry and Meghan delivered their bombshell statement in January, saying they wanted a dual role, earning their own money and supporting the Queen.
But the plan was unworkable and the Queen had to hold a crisis summit to deal with the matter, which resulted in the couple walking away from the monarchy completely.
They returned from a stay in Canada to carry out a farewell flurry of engagements in London including appearing with the royals on Commonwealth Day, but in the wake of their final official engagement, the UK has been gripped in the growing coronavirus crisis.
“There are life and death situations for absolutely everybody,” Ms Junor said.
“If people are not fighting for their lives, they’re fighting for their livelihoods. We don’t know what the world is going to look like when we come out of all of this.
“I’m afraid Harry and Meghan’s decision is absolutely pushed to the back of the list of priorities.”
Ms Junor said Harry, as a trained military man, would have been keen to help and disappointed not to be able to play a role.
“From what I know of Harry, he would be sad to be away and not able to help,” she said.
“He’s a very caring, nurturing sort of person and he’s a soldier and soldiers step up when the going gets tough.”
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