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The royal family has made a noticeable update to their official website. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ’s Instagram account, as well as Prince Andrew ’s Twitter and Instagram accounts have been removed from the site’s social media tab. Royal blogger account Gert’s Royals first noted the change. The only accounts now listed on the website are Prince Charles and Camilla’s @ClarenceHouse, Prince William and Kate Middleton ’s @KensingtonRoyal, and @TheRoyalFamily, which shares updates about the work and activities of Queen Elizabeth and other members of the British royal family. The decision to remove the Sussexes and the Duke of York’s accounts comes months after Meghan, Harry and Andrew stepped back from royal duties.
In November, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice ’s father announced that he was stepping “back from public duties for the foreseeable future” amid the controversy surrounding his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein . In a statement, Andrew said, “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support.”
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shocked royal fans in January when they announced their intention to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent.” Following a summit with the Queen, it was decided that the couple would no longer be working members of the royal family.
Meghan and Harry officially bid farewell to royal life on their now-defunct @SussexRoyal account in March. At the time, a spokesperson for the pair said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer post on Instagram under the @sussexroyal handle and will also no longer update SussexRoyal.com website,” adding that although both will be inactive, they will “remain in existence online for the foreseeable future.” Ahead of their royal exit, it was revealed that Meghan and Harry would stop using “Sussex Royal” post-spring 2020 because there are specific UK government rules surrounding the use of the word “royal.”