Prince Harry has made his first formal statement about his and Meghan’s decision to leave royal life at a London fundraiser for Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in 2006.

The Prince remarked that the people present at the fundraiser had probably read a lot of the news and coverage of their decision to no longer receive public funding, no longer work as members of the Royal Family, and abdicate their HRH titles.

He, therefore, felt the need to address the situation. The video of his speech was then uploaded to the Sussex Royal Instagram account.

Here he is – “not as a Prince or a Duke, but as Harry”:

Per BuzzFeed News, Harry had some lovely things to say about the Queen:

“I will always have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my commander-in-chief, and I am incredibly grateful to her and the rest of my family, for the support they have shown Meghan and I over the last few months,” he said.

The Queen also released an official statement, along with details about what life will look like moving forward, for the Duke and Duchess.

Here’s what Harry envisions for the future, noting that he was left with “no other option” but to make some changes.

“I will continue to be the same man who holds his country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities, and military communities that are so important to me. Together, you have given me an education about living. And this role has taught me more about what is right and just than I could have ever imagined. We are taking a leap of faith — thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step.”

It’s all rather civilised.

You can read his full speech, here.

[source:buzzfeednews]