It's final: Harry and Meghan won't return to royal duties

Buckingham Palace confirmed Friday that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will not be returning to royal duties, and Harry will give up his honorary military titles.

When Harry and Meghan stepped away from full-time royal life in early 2020, it was agreed the situation would be reviewed after a year.

The palace said in a statement “that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family. “

It said Harry’s appointment as captain general of the Royal Marines and with other military groups would revert to Queen Elizabeth II before being distributed to other members of the family.

In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They live in Santa Barbara, California and are expecting their second child, a younger sibling for toddler Archie.

They recently announced that they will speak to Oprah Winfrey in a TV special to be broadcast next month.

A spokesperson for the couple said in a statement that “as evidenced by their work over the past year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”