³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Prince Harry and Meghan have announced that they are stepping back from some of their royal duties and will work towards being "financially independent" meaning they would make their own money.

In a statement which was also posted on their Instagram page the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also said they plan to split their time between the UK and North America.

The decision is thought to be a surprise to the rest of the Royal Family who are said to be hurt they weren't told about it before it was announced.

Over Christmas, the couple took a six-week break from royal duties to spend some time in Canada with their son, Archie, who was born in May.

Yes, Harry and Meghan are still part of the Royal Family, but they no longer want to be "senior royals".

Senior royals, although not an official term, usually refers to members of the Royal Family who are high up and regularly perform royal duties in the Queen's name.

The Queen and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince William and Kate are all considered "senior royals".

The couple have said that they still intend "to honour our duty to The Queen".

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said that they will continue to follow the tradition of the Royal Family and remain patrons of charities.

The couple said that they came to the decision "after many months of reflection and internal discussions".

There is no one reason, but they have spoken in the past about some of the pressures they were under.

In October 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan spoke in a documentary about how media attention affected them and Meghan admitted that adjusting to royal life was "hard".

The Duchess of Sussex took legal action against a British newspaper after she claims it unlawfully published a letter she wrote to her dad.

It is not clear exactly where Harry and Meghan plan to live but they have said that they will divide their time between North America and the UK.

Meghan is from the United States where her mother still lives. The Duke and Duchess spent the Christmas holidays in Canada with Archie.

The couple said of the decision: "This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter."

Harry and Meghan say they are working towards being "financially independent".

They will no longer receive money from the sovereign grant, which is money paid from the government to the Royal Family to cover the cost of official duties and looking after royal palaces.

At the moment they are not able to make a "professional income" which means they can't make money from a job outside of the Royal Family.

On their website the couple has said being able to have a job and earn their own money is something which is important to them.

In their statement they also said that they are working on the launch of a new charity.

It's thought that no other royal, including the Queen knew about the decision before Harry and Meghan released their statement.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said discussions with the Duke and Duchess on their decision to step back were "at an early stage", adding: "We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through."