Oprah Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex sparked debate, especially over the fact that the couple accused the royal "institution" of not protecting them when they needed it most.
But what is this institution and how does it work? Sometimes referred to as "The Firm", the monarchy functions as a public body or government department, although it is completely independent.
At the top of it is the queen and below her comes a strict hierarchy based on the line of inheritance. Currently, he continues with Prince Charles to Prince William; his children George, Charlotte and Louis; and then Prince Harry.
There are also thousands of people working behind the scenes to make sure the royal family is in order. These staff are deployed in five main departments, including the Office of the Private Secretary, which oversees constitutional affairs, and the Treasury Office, which oversees finance, human resources, and IT.
During the interview, Meghan herself set a line between members of the royal family and house staff.
"So here is the family and then the people running the institution. These are two separate things. And it's important to be able to share it, because the queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me." She said.
On one occasion, Meghan said, she asked a senior member of the palace's staff and human resources department for support in her mental health. She was told that as a member of the royal family, and not a paid employee of the institution, she was not eligible for departmental assistance.
Although members of the royal family are not on the family's payroll, the queen relies on them to represent her because she cannot do everything herself. In return, they may have access to public funds known as the sovereign grant, which is paid to the monarch for his / her role as head of state and head of nation.
Prior to their decision to leave the kingdom, Harry and Meghan were part of this group, but because of the hierarchy, their role was essentially to support Prince William and Kate Middleton. The hierarchy also means that their home office was smaller than that of Kate and William or Prince Charles as well as they had less support.
Por marrja e parave nga granti sovran do të thotë që mbretërit duhet të jenë përgjegjës për fondet publike dhe nuk mund të fitojnë para nga emri i tyre. Ata duhet të qëndrojnë të pavarur politikisht dhe komercialisht, duke shmangur çdo konflikt interesi.
Marrja e një pozicioni mbretëror do të thotë se ka kompromise për lirinë personale, pasi anëtarët e familjes përfaqësojnë kurorën, jo vetëm veten e tyre.
Në një përpjekje për të shijuar më shumë liri, Harry dhe Meghan donin të bëheshin “minor royals”, të cilët nuk kanë qasje te paratë e taksapaguesve - por planet e tyre duket se sollën debate serioze.
The couple had a parallel, independent U.S. office, where the palace had no oversight over the projects they were working on. This created tension with the "institution" mentioned by the duo, who eventually decided to completely end their royal duties.
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Sources: CNN, Financial Times