Fans lash out after royal's bombshell announcement

Meghan Markle has faced fierce backlash after announcing the bombshell news that she and Prince Harry are stepping down from royal duties.

Royal fans have taken to social media to express their shock that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen”.

And while the official statement came from both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, it seems the 38-year-old Duchess of Sussex is copping all the heat over the announcement.

“Well well she’s started it earlier than I thought she would! Won’t be long before he’s over there full time and away from his support network, she’s driven a wedge between him and his family,” one person commented on their account.

“She has pushed away her own family now she has pushed away Harry's family,” another person said.

Some even compared the former actress to Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee whose intended marriage to the British king Edward VIII caused him to abdicate in 1936.

“So she was Wallis Simpson II. It’s only taken her 2 years to split the Royal Family,” one person wrote.

“Such echoes of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson living out their lives in exile; having to stick together to prove to the world their love was stronger than the crown. The Royal Family never got over it and they never forgave Wallis for taking him away, another person tweeted.

However others disagreed, with one person slamming the haters and asking why they have to be so judgemental.

“Maybe if the response of a sizeable section of the country to Meghan hadn’t been hostility, overt racism, classism, and xenophobia they wouldn’t feel the need to do this,” another fan said.

Piers Morgan, who has previously come out to slam both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over a plethora of issues, also took to his Twitter account to let his feelings be known.

“People say I'm too critical of Meghan Markle - but she ditched her family, ditched her dad, ditched most of her old friends, split Harry from William and has now split him from the Royal Family. I rest my case,” he said.

Harry and Meghan ‘step back’ from royal life

The couple's groundbreaking decision came in a statement on Wednesday, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they will work to become financially independent, while continuing to "fully support" the Queen.

"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," the couple said in their statement.

"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."

The couple's move follows weeks of speculation about their future, after they took an extended break from royal duties over the festive period that followed an emotional appearance in a documentary.

In the program, Harry and Meghan spoke about the pressures they have been facing and family rifts, and in a separate move Harry issued a damning statement against the media accusing sections of the press of bullying his wife.

With extra reporting by AAP.

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