The royal family is reportedly splitting up.
No, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t divorcing, though their “court” is breaking from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s in the coming weeks, according to The Sunday Times. But what exactly does splitting courts mean for the royal fab four?
First up, let’s discuss what a royal court is. It’s really just a fancy way of saying the royal team. Right now, Prince Harry and Prince William share a joint team, or household, based at Kensington Palace which serves their professional endeavors. And as the brothers’ responsibilities begin to shift in different directions, establishing separate courts will help them carry out their new duties.
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After Prince Charles ascends to the throne, Prince William will become the Prince of Wales, making his role in the royal family vastly different from Prince Harry’s, who is sixth in line for the throne. Despite the formal court separation and Meghan and Prince Harry’s move to Frogmore cottage, their offices are expected to remain at Kensington Palace.
Not only will the separate courts be comprised of different staffers and serve different duties, they will also play a huge part in each couple developing their own media voice. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (i.e. Harry and Meghan) have become increasingly more political with their statements and the organizations that align themselves with, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (i.e. William and Kate), not so much. This is most likely due to Prince William’s place in the royal family versus Prince Harry’s.
Someone who has a good chance of being king one day has to follow royal protocol more closely than someone who doesn’t. Hence why Meghan and Prince Harry can get away with being more lax at times.
This isn’t the first time the royal family has created separate courts either. The brothers first created their own household in 2009 after they broke away from their father Prince Charles’ court at Clarence House, according to The Telegraph.
In other words, this is totally no big deal and the fab four can still all be close friends; it’s more a professional separation than a personal one. No matter what the tabloids try to sell it as.