A lot of things have been changing recently for royal couple Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. There’s the birth of their first child Archie Mountbatten-Windsor last month. There’s also their earlier move to have their own household separate from Prince William and his family.
And now, rumors of Markle and Prince Harry possibly going on a ‘working sabbatical’ to an African country, are resurfacing once again.
Rumored Move
While these rumors first appeared in April, an official confirmation from Buckingham Palace hasn’t been issued yet.
It was the British paper The Sunday Times that first reported on the relocation plan which would allegedly keep the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the continent for two to three years.
Markle and Prince Harry’s possible role in there is still unclear. But both royal experts and commentators have a lot to say about the potential move and its consequences for the future of the royal family.
Many Possibilities
According to Kristen Meinzer, a royal commentator from the BBC, the Duke and Duchess may play a role in the maintenance of the country’s international trade relations after its much-talked-about withdrawal from the European Union (EU) in 2016.
She also said that the couple’s move may be in the same vein as their other tours in the Commonwealth. It could be partly a show of good will and partly diplomatic as a show of support for the Commonwealth.
In the long run, it’s expected that Markle and Prince Harry’s possible new role may bolster the royal family’s image and help the United Kingdom (UK) as well.
However, not everyone has a positive outlook about the rumored move. Eric Schiffer, an expert on celebrity brand management, says that going away may potentially ‘tarnish’ the couple’s reputation.
He attributes this to the fact that Prince Harry and Markle’s son Archie would have to grow up far from the public eye which might upset UK citizens back home.
The couple’s desire to keep aspects of their lives private has been noted before, most notably their desire in keeping the details of baby’s Archie’s birth a secret.
New Lease in Life
The move may also allow Prince Harry to finally carve out his own life path and not just be a ‘spare’ to his older brother, Prince William. According to Meinzer, the younger Windsor can separate himself from his former identity as the ‘little brother’ now that he himself is married and a father.
And it looks like he’s been making the move to do so what with the separation of he and his wife’s offices and household from that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge earlier in the year.