周日晚上，苏塞克斯公爵哈里王子在他自“梅格西特”以来的首次公开演讲中，坦率地表达了对他和梅根汗·马克尔决定从皇室中退一步的“巨大悲伤”的感情。
在英国伦敦的一次Sentebale晚宴上，哈里在白金汉宫发表讲话，宣布这对夫妇决定辞去高级皇室成员的职务。“在我开始之前，我必须说我只能想象过去几周你可能听到或读到了什么，”他开始说，然后断言他和梅根没有“离开”皇室。
“所以，我想让你们尽可能多地从我这里听到真相——不是作为王子或公爵——而是作为哈利，你们许多人在过去35年里看到的那个人成长了，但有了更清晰的视角，”哈利继续说道。“英国是我的家，也是我热爱的地方。这永远不会改变。”
苏塞克斯公爵称赞了他的妻子，并向公众保证她和他一样“坚持同样的价值观”。
“我长大后感觉得到了你们许多人的支持，我看着你们张开双臂欢迎梅根。当你看到我找到我一生所希望的爱和幸福。戴安娜的第二个儿子终于结婚了，万岁，”哈利说。“相信我选择的那个女人和我一样坚持自己的价值观。她也是。她就是我爱上的那个女人。我们都尽我们所能，高举旗帜，自豪地为这个国家履行我们的职责。”
本月早些时候，这对夫妇宣布，他们打算结束老皇室的角色，寻求北美和英国之间更平静的生活。
在白金汉宫公布了他们的退出条款后的一天，哈利发表了这番言论。该协议包括哈里和梅根将偿还大约300万美元纳税人的钱，这笔钱用于他们在温莎庄园共有的住宅Frogmore Cottage的翻修。
梅根和哈利决定离开这个家庭，是因为他们对英国媒体报道越来越不满，而这种不满在最近几年因苏塞克斯公爵夫人的家人接受媒体不利采访而加剧。
哈利告诉Sentebale晚宴的与会者，“真的没有其他选择。”
“事情发展到这种地步让我非常难过，”他说。“我为我和我妻子做出的后退的决定不是我轻率做出的。经过这么多年的挑战，这是这么多月的谈判。我知道我并不总是做对，但就目前而言，真的别无选择。”
哈利补充道:“20年前我失去妈妈的时候，你把我放在你的羽翼下，你照顾了我这么久。但媒体是一股强大的力量，我希望有一天，我们对彼此的集体支持会更加强大，因为这比我们自身强大得多。”
伊丽莎白二世女王周六说，她“特别自豪”梅根很快融入了皇室。
苏塞克斯公爵哈里王子和苏塞克斯公爵夫人梅根参观了英国高级专员的住所，参加了一个下午的招待会，庆祝英国和南非重要的商业和投资关系，展望英国将于2020年主办的非洲投资峰会。
PRINCE HARRY FEELS 'GREAT SADNESS' OVER HIS AND MEGHAN MARKLE'S DECISION: 'NO OTHER OPTION...THE MEDIA IS A POWERFUL FORCE'
In his first public address since "Megxit," Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, candidly expressed feelings of "great sadness" Sunday evening over his and Meghan Markle's decision to take a step back from the royal family.
Speaking at a Sentebale dinner in London, England, Harry addressed Buckingham Palace's recent announcement of the couple's decision to resign from their roles as senior royals. "Before I begin, I must say that I can only imagine what you may have heard or perhaps read over the last few weeks," he began, before asserting that he and Meghan are not "walking away" from the royal family.
"So, I want you to hear the truth from me, as much as I can share—not as a prince, or a duke—but as Harry, the same person that many of you have watched grow up over the last 35 years but with a clearer perspective," Harry continued. "The U.K. is my home and a place that I love. That will never change."
The Duke of Sussex praised his wife and reassured the public that she "upholds the same values" as he does.
"I have grown up feeling supported by so many of you and I watched as you welcomed Meghan with open arms. As you saw me find the love and happiness that I hoped for all my life. Finally the second son of Diana got hitched, hooray," Harry said. "Trust that the woman that I chose as my life upholds the same values that I do. And she does. And she's the same woman I fell in love with. We both do everything that we can to fly the flag and carry out our roles for this country with pride."
The couple, earlier this month, announced that they intended to wind back from their roles as senior royals in pursuit of a quieter life split between North America and the United Kingdom.
Harry's remarks came one day after Buckingham Palace released the terms of their exit. The agreement involves provisions that would see Harry and Meghan pay back the roughly $3 million of taxpayer money that went into renovations at Frogmore Cottage, the home they share on the Windsor estate.
Megan and Harry's decision to step back from the family has been linked to their growing unhappiness over British press coverage, which has been exacerbated in recent years by the Duchess of Sussex's family giving unfavorable interviews to the media.
Harry told attendees of the Sentebale dinner that "there really was no other option."
"It brings me great sadness that it has come to this," he said. "The decision that I have made for me and my wife to step back is not one that I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven't always gotten it right but as far as this goes, there really was no other option."
Harry added: "When I lost my mum 20 years ago, you took me under your wing, you looked out for me for so long. But the media is a powerful force and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us."
Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday said she is "particularly proud" of how quickly Meghan has assimilated into the royal family.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the British High Commissioner's residence to attend an afternoon reception to celebrate the UK and South Africa’s important business and investment relationship, looking ahead to the Africa Investment Summit the UK will host in 2020.
