Prince Harry breaks silence with heartbreaking first speech since royal split

Prince Harry has expressed ‘great sadness’ at the outcome of the royal discussions. The Duke of Sussex spoke out about his and Duchess Meghan’s decision to ‘step back’ from Royal Family.

• Prince Harry has expressed his “great sadness” at the outcome of the royal discussions, revealing his disappointment that “it has come to this”.
• The Duke of Sussex spoke out about his and wife Duchess Meghan’s decision to ‘step back’ from the Royal Family, assuring the UK that they are “not walking away”.
• In other royal news, the Queen reveals she is ‘particularly proud’ of Duchess Meghan as she brands the Sussexes ‘much loved members of my family’.

Prince Harry has spoken out about his and Duchess Meghan’s decision to ‘step back’ from the Royal Family.

The Duke of Sussex made a speech last night while at a dinner for mental health charity Sentebale, which the royal founded back in 2006.

Over the weekend, Buckingham Palace revealed that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will drop their HRH titles going forward, as they are ‘no longer working members of the Royal Family’.

And now the Duke has spoken about the “leap of faith” that he and his family are taking as they take the “next step” into their future.

“Before I begin, I must say that I can only imagine what you may have heard or perhaps read over the last few weeks,” started the royal. “So, I want you to hear the truth from me, as much as I can share – not as a Prince, or a Duke, but as Harry, the same person that many of you have watched grow up over the last 35 years – but with a clearer perspective.

“The UK is my home and a place that I love,” continued Harry in his heartfelt speech. “That will never change. I have grown up feeling support from so many of you, and I watched as you welcomed Meghan with open arms as you saw me find the love and happiness that I had hoped for all my life. Finally, the second son of Diana got hitched, hurray!”.

Going on to speak about wife Duchess Meghan, Harry continued, “I also know you’ve come to know me well enough over all these years to trust that the woman I chose as my wife upholds the same values as I do. And she does, and she’s the same woman I fell in love with. We both do everything we can to fly the flag and carry out our roles for this country with pride. Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hopeful, and we were here to serve”.

MORE: Prince William discusses ‘moving on’ from ‘challenges’ after Prince Harry steps down as senior royal

The Duke then opened up about his ‘sadness’ at his present position, admitting, “For those reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this. The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you.

“Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding,” continued Prince Harry.

“Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. I’ve accepted this, knowing that it doesn’t change who I am or how committed I am. But I hope that helps you understand what it had to come to, that I would step my family back from all I have ever known, to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life.

“I was born into this life, and it is a great honour to serve my country and the queen. When I lost my mum 23 years ago, you took me under your wing. You’ve looked out for me for so long, but the media is a powerful force, and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us.”

With a heartfelt farewell, Harry concuded, “It has been our privilege to serve you, and we will continue to lead a life of service. It has also been a privilege to meet so many of you, and to feel your excitement for our son Archie, who saw snow for the first time the other day and thought it was bloody brilliant!

“I will always have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my commander in chief, and I am incredibly grateful to her and the rest of my family, for the support they have shown Meghan and I over the last few months. I will continue to be the same man who holds his country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities and military communities that are so important to me.

“Together, you have given me an education about living. And this role has taught me more about what is right and just than I could have ever imagined. We are taking a leap of faith - thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step”.