What could’ve been. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle almost moved to New Zealand more than a year before Megxit happened.
Governor-General Patsy Reddy, Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in New Zealand, told the Associated Press on August 4 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex talked to her about relocating to the country while on their royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga.
“I remember they’d just been down to the Abel Tasman National Park when we sat down and had a drink, and they said that they could imagine living in a place like this and wondered whether we thought it would be theoretically possible. Even possible for them to have a place in New Zealand,” Reddy said.
She continued, “Of course, we said, ‘Sure. It would be fine.’ There are lots of opportunities to live in New Zealand, but that would be something that they’d have to explore. They were looking at how they might raise their family. And, obviously, they’ve made some decisions since.”
The conversation came a year before Meghan and Harry announced their decision to move to North America and step down as senior members of the British royal family. The couple first moved to Canada before relocating to Los Angeles. They currently live in Montecito, a neighborhood in Santa Barbara, California, with their 2-year-old son, Archie Harrison, and their 2-month-old daughter, Lilibet Diana.
“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 couple wrote in a statement on their Instagram in January 2020. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
Meghan and Harry’s possible move to New Zealand would’ve also meant that Archie and Lilibet, who have dual United States and United Kingdom citizenship, would’ve been dual citizens of the U.K. and New Zealand. Meghan and Harry confirmed in June that Lilibet was born in Santa Barbara, California, on June 4. “Lili was born on Friday, June 4, 2021, at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz,” the couple said in a statement at the time. Archie, for his part, was born in London on May 6, 2019, according to his birth certificate. According to Us Weekly, both Lili and Archie have dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship, despite being born in different countries.
As for their parents, Harry is still a British citizen. Meghan, for her part, is an American citizen and does not have dual citizenship unlike her kids. According to Us Weekly, Meghan failed to spend the required three years abroad to receive her U.K. passport.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, Meghan and Harry revealed that the lack of support from Buckingham Palace was the real reason they left the U.K. and took a step back from the royal family. “I think the biggest turning point for me was this union, us, me having a girlfriend, was going to be a thing. Of course, it was,” Harry said. “[We left because of] lack of support and lack of understanding.”
Harry also revealed that he feared that Meghan would face the same fate as his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997 after being chased by the paparazzi. “My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” Harry said, referencing Diana’s death. “For me, I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you with my wife by my side. Because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her [Diana] going through this process by herself all those years ago. Because it has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we have each other.”
Finding Freedom
Image: Courtesy of Dey Street Books.
For more about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, read Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s New York Times bestseller, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family. The book tells all on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship—from their wedding and how they met, to the birth of their first son, Archie. Finding Freedom also dives into the “true story” of why Harry and Meghan left the royals at the end of 2019 and moved to the United States amid their drama with their family. Consisting of interviews and accounts with Harry and Meghan’s closest confidants, Finding Freedom is a must-read for any royal follower.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario