Before formally resigning as a senior member of the royal family, Prince Harry disclosed that he was able to plan two heartfelt Christmas gifts for staff members.
The Duke of Sussex disclosed in his book Spare that on January 8, 2020, he, his wife Meghan Markle, and two senior staff members were “hunkered down deep inside Buckingham Palace” working on a draft statement that would be posted on Instagram.
Photo: Pool
Harry found himself near the main state room, near a Christmas tree, and feeling festive even though it was a few days past Christmas and he wanted to express his gratitude to those close to him.
“I exited into the hallway. There was a gorgeous, tall Christmas tree that was still beautifully lit. I stood in front of it, thinking back. I took down two ornaments, cuddly little corgis, and returned them to the employees. Each one. “A memento of this peculiar expedition,” I uttered. They felt impacted. but somewhat culpable.
“I told them that nobody would miss them. “Words that appeared to have two sides,” Harry wrote, going on to say that the staff was also “apprehensive” about the consequences of their involvement with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s announcement.
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“As the deadline for the final draft drew near, the staff members started to get nervous. They worried out loud that someone would find out about their involvement. In that case, how would it affect their employment?
“But they were mainly happy. They believed they were on the right side of things because they had both read every insult in the media and on social media for months on end, the author wrote.
“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,” was part of their final statement, which was released later that day.
Photo: Netflix
“As’senior’ members of the Royal Family, we plan to retire from our positions and pursue financial independence, all the while providing complete support to Her Majesty the Queen. Thanks to your encouragement, especially in the past few years, we feel ready to make this change.
Then they said, “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, including the launch of our new charitable entity.” They went on to say that they planned to divide their time between the US and the UK.
They had decorated an 8-foot-tall Christmas tree with warm fairy lights and golden ornaments, and they had celebrated Christmas 2019 in a remote Vancouver home.
Photo: Netflix
The family of three decorated with an especially sentimental ornament that Meghan had bought for their first Christmas in their Montecito home the following year.
Harry disclosed that their young son Prince Archie, who was only a year old at the time, unintentionally knocked off a branch while playing around the tree, a bauble that had his grandmother Queen Elizabeth on the front given to him by his wife.
