It seems like only yesterday we all woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to watch the royal wedding in May 2018. But now the world’s favorite royal couple (sorry, Will and Kate, you had your chance) has been married for nearly two years, are parents to adorable baby Archie and are ... peacing out from the royal family?

The Duchess of Sussex (Comm ‘03) and her husband, former heartthrob and current ginger Prince Harry, announced in an Instagram post today that they would transition to a “new progressive role” within the royal institution, working toward “financial independence” while still supporting their patronages and the Queen. They plan to split their time between the United Kingdom and North America.

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“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. 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. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. 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. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

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The announcement comes after several notable breaks in tradition by the Sussexes. From holding a wedding ceremony that featured a gospel choir and an African American bishop to announcing they would only have two children for the sake of the environment and spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in America and Canada, respectively, they’ve made it clear that they’re doing things their own way. With vicious tabloid coverage that prompted legal action and racist messages from the media, general public and even within the royal family, it’s no surprise that the Sussexes would want to take a step back from the demands of a very public life.

While some haters who do not even deserve to be name-dropped have claimed Markle has split her husband from his family, many online responses have been supportive of the couple.

To further complicate matters, it seems that the royals did not inform anyone else in the family of their decision before they publicly announced it today. Yikes, but also undeniably a baller move.

Perhaps this new arrangement will allow for more free time in which Harry and Meghan could visit the latter's alma mater – and when they do, I'll be ready.  

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