Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have set NEW rules for the media after their SHOCKING announcement

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sent shock waves across the world media on Wednesday when they announced their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family. In their statement, the royal couple said, "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." 

Meghan and Harry also released a detailed Q&A on their website which answers almost every question you can possibly think of. As they prepare to take on their new 'progressive' roles, Harry and Meghan have revealed how they will operate henceforth with the media. 

The couple clearly mentioned that they will not be a part of the Royal Rota system. The rota system, which was introduced almost 40 years ago, includes top British UK media outlets which have access to happenings inside the Palace and act as primary source of information to media firms across the world. These UK media outlets are: The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Telegraph, The Times, The Sun.

“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. 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. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

Meghan and Harry stated that they will be adopting a 'revised media approach'. From now on, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will invite 'specialist media to specific events/engagements to give greater access to their cause-driven activities'. They will 'provide access to credible media outlets focused on objective news reporting to cover key moments and events'. And, 'continue to share information directly to the wider public via their official communications channels'.

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This means that none of the above mentioned media outlets will be called upon by Meghan and Harry. The couple are already fighting legal battles for releasing private information with some of these organisations. The couple also stated the reason to change their media policy now. "The Duke and Duchess have chosen to revise their media policy to reflect both their forthcoming change as members of the Royal Family with financial independence, and their wish to reshape and broaden access to their work," the statement read. They, however, added, that they do believe in an 'open' and 'free' media. The Q&A clarified that this new media policy will only be applicable to Harry, Meghan and their son Archie Harrison.