The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family”, they have said.

The couple want to become financially independent, they announced in a statement published to the Sussex Royal Instagram account.

It comes amid speculation the couple want to move to Canada, and just a day after they thanked Canadian embassy staff in person for the hospitality they enjoyed during a six-week Christmas holiday in Vancouver with Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother.

In the statement, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said: ”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.”

They added: “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.”

11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes Show all 11 1 /11 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On stigma around menstruation and female education 'Imagine a world where the female leaders we revere never achieved their full potential because they dropped out of school at the age of thirteen. In the western world this is challenging to fathom, but for millions of young women globally, this remains their harsh reality for a staggering reason. From sub-Saharan Africa to India, Iran, and several other countries, the stigma surrounding menstruation and lack of access to proper sanitation directly inhibit young women from pursuing an education.' (Time, 2017) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On the #MeToo and Time's Up movements 'I hear a lot of people saying when speaking about girls’ empowerment, finding and knowing their worth, or women’s empowerment as well, you will often hear people say: "You’re helping women find their voices." And I fundamentally disagree with that, because women don’t need to find the voice – they have a voice, they need to be empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen. And I think right now in the climate that we’re seeing with so many campaigns, with #MeToo and Time’s Up, there is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people really helping to support them, men included in that.' (The Royal Foundation Forum, 2018) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On gender stereotypes in cleaning adverts 'I don’t think it is right for kids to grow up thinking these things, that just mum does everything.' (At 11 years old on Nick News, 1993) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On supporting women's voices 'Women make up more than half of the world’s population and potential, so it is neither just nor practical for their voices, for our voices, to go unheard at the highest levels of decision-making. The way that we change that, in my opinion, is to mobilize girls and women to see their value as leaders, and to support them in these efforts.' (UN Women Conference, 2015) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On women's suffrage 'Women’s suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness. Suffrage is not simply about the right to vote, but also about what that represents: the basic and fundamental human right of being able to participate in the choices for your future and that of your community.' (At Government House in New Zealand for 125th anniversary of women achieving right to vote in country, 2018) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On dressing like a feminist 'You don’t have to play dress up to be a feminist. You are a feminist exactly the way you are. You can be a woman who wants to look good and still stand up for the equality of women. There’s no uniform for feminism; you are a feminist exactly the way you are.' (Create and Cultivate, 2016) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On knowing your value 'I think the biggest part of being a girl boss in the office, at home, or anywhere you go is just knowing your value.' (InStyle, 2015) Getty 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On taking action to achieve equality 'It is said that girls with dreams become women with vision. May we empower each other to carry out such vision – because it isn't enough to simply talk about equality. One must believe it. And it isn't enough to simply believe in it. One must work at it. Let us work at it. Together. Starting now.' (UN Women Conference, 2015) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On looking after yourself 'Be kind to yourself. Truly, if we treated ourselves as well as we treated our best friends we would be a million miles ahead of the game. There’s this great Georgia O’Keefe quote that resonates with me: “I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain, and I am quite free."' Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On breaking glass ceilings 'With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibility – to advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings. And, if I'm lucky enough, to inspire.' (Elle, 2016) Getty Images 11 of Meghan Markle's best feminist quotes On what it means to be a feminist ‘No matter what you look like, you should be taken seriously. I think it’s really great to be able to be a feminist, and be feminine. To embrace both.’ (Interview with Larry King, 2016)

The bombshell statement provoked a swift response from Buckingham Palace, publicly warning the duke and duchess that their decision had raised “complicated issues that will take time to work through”. Discussions about their future role were “at an early stage”, a spokesperson said.

The Independent understands that the mood at the palace is one of disappointment, and that other members of the royal family were not consulted on the content of the statement before it was published.

The Sussexes have publicly struggled with media coverage of their relationship, the duchess launching a privacy action against the Mail on Sunday while Harry pursues the owners of The Sun and The Daily Mirror over alleged phone-hacking.

In an interview with ITV journalist Tom Bradby in October 2019, during the Sussexes’ 10-day tour of southern Africa, Meghan said that joining the royal ranks had been a “struggle”.

She said that prior to her engagement friends had warned her British tabloids would “destroy your life”, but she ignored them. “I had no idea which probably sounds difficult to understand here,” she said.

She continued: “It’s not just enough to survive something, you’ve got to thrive. I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.

“The biggest thing that I know, I never thought this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And that’s the part that’s really hard to reconcile.”

In response to being asked if she was okay, the duchess said: “And, also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”

Prince Harry said in the same interview: “I will always protect my family. And now I have a family to protect.”

In a separate update on their new website on Wednesday night, the duke and duchess said they were overhauling their relationship with the press and launched a stinging attack on the business of royal reporting.

The couple are pulling out of the royal rota system, which gives newspapers and broadcasters access to pooled resources with which to report their activities, they said, and will favour “grassroots” media organisations and “young, up-and-coming journalists”.

Updates are likely to be seen first on social media rather than news websites, they warned, adding that the public’s view of royal correspondents as credible was a “misconception”.

Speaking to The Independent, ​author and royal commentator​ Claudia Joseph said: “In some ways it’s surprising but in other ways I think it was always on the cards. Meghan lived in Toronto before her marriage and they have just had a wonderful break in the country.

“I think social media is to blame. If you read the comments about Meghan on Twitter, you can see why she would want to escape.”