Queen Elizabeth reportedly blindsided by Prince Harry, Meghan Markle 'stepping back' from royal duties
The British royal family is reportedly in crisis mode; reaction on 'The Five.'
"The Five" panelists had mixed reactions Thursday the historic announcement by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, that they were planning to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family."
"This is a perfect Romeo and Juliet story. I like it," co-host Lawrence Jones said.
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Other panelists were not quite as supportive.
"It's all on her [Markle]. She's a palace-wrecker," Greg Gutfeld said.
The royal couple stunned the world and their own families with Wednesday's announcement, in which they said that they were stepping down in order to become "financially independent" and focus on other ventures that are important to them.
"The Royals work something like 92 days a year, maybe 100 days a year," Martha MacCallum pointed out, "so if they are going to be financially independent they may have to work closer to what normal people work."
MacCallum also responded to reports that Queen Elizabeth was blindsided by the announcement, and said the couple was having an "all about me" moment.
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"They want to make a big statement. They wanted to be dramatic. They want to exit the royal family. This is 'stiff upper lip' versus 'everything is about me' Americanism," she said. "They obviously want to make a big stink, and make a big drama."
Gutfeld offered to "adopt them as our own royal family."
"You know England’s gotta be ticked off because they paid for that fairy tale wedding," he said. "This is like the bride's parents finding the groom in the closet with the maid of honor. They must be angry."
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE STEPPING BACK AS SENIOR MEMBERS OF ROYAL FAMILY
Coming to the couple's defense, guest host Geraldo Rivera said the U.K. media scrutiny may have driven them to make the historic move.
"I think they endured a lot," he said. "She's really gotten all kinds of negative vibes from many of the tabloids."
"What's amazing is how the American public adores these people, and this couple specifically," Rivera added. "I think people love her [Markle] and they love the fragility of her. She's the first one to show humanity. She's just like Princess Diana, Harry's mother. She could not be controlled, she wanted to have a life."
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"I'm just hoping he doesn't wake up two years from now and say, 'Wait a minute, I left my entire family, my whole life behind,'" MacCallum responded.
Markle, 38, and Harry 35, said the announcement came “after many months of reflection and internal discussions.”
A palace spokesman told Fox News that discussions are "at an early stage" and called the matter "complicated" and that it "will take time to work through.”
Fox News' Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
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