Drama from Buckingham Palace comes in all formats — even online.
Astute Royal-watchers took note on Saturday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have slipped down a few notches on the official website of the British Crown. Under the “Family” tab of Royal.uk, one can read about the functions of the monarchy in today’s Britain, then scroll to learn about its cast of characters. Up top, naturally, is Queen Elizabeth, followed by her son Prince Charles, then his wife Camilla Parker Bowles, followed by Kate Middleton and Prince William.
Until recently, next in line would come Charles and the late Diana’s second son, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan Markle. However, the website, which had been “under construction” for a few weeks according to reports, now places the California-based couple below Princess Anne (Charles’s sister), Prince Andrew (Charles’s scandal-mired brother), Prince Edward (Charles’s other brother), and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
One could interpret this as a royal diss. There were some on Twitter whose response to the news was wondering why the duo remained on the official site at all.
Harry’s updated bio now includes the lines “as announced in January, The Duke and Duchess have stepped back as senior members of The Royal Family. They are balancing their time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour their duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and their patronages. Frogmore Cottage in the UK remains their family home.”
As the Countess of Wessex put it in a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, “we are still a family, no matter what.”
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