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Social media responds hilariously to Prince Harry, Meghan's new roles

VIDEO: Prince Harry and Meghan step back from royal duties: All your burning questions answered
3:05
Harry and Meghan step back from royal duties: All your burning questions answered
ABCNews.com
ByKatie Kindelan
January 09, 2020, 12:57 pm

Prince Harry and Meghan's new roles were reportedly months in the making for the couple, but it only took the internet seconds to develop hilarious responses to their surprise move.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced Wednesday they plan to "step back as senior members" of the royal family, live both in the U.K. and North America, become financially independent and launch their own charity.

The Chicago Tribune was one of the first out of the gate in response. The newspaper tweeted, "Northwestern graduate moving closer to home after spending time abroad."

The tweet was, of course, a play on the fact that Meghan is a Los Angeles native who lived in Chicago while a Northwestern University undergrad and only moved to the U.K. full-time in 2017 when she and Harry became engaged.

(MORE: <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/uk-royals" id="_ap_link_Prince Harry_UKRoyals_" target="_blank">Prince Harry</a> and Meghan step back from royal duties: All your burning questions answered)

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Not far behind with more humor was Amy Schumer, who shared a photo of her husband, Chris Fischer, pushing her in a wheelchair on the beach.

The photo was captioned, "Chris and I are formally stepping down from our royal duties. We appreciate your support."

Schumer's joking post drew replies from fellow celebrities, including actresses Zoe Saldana and Taraji P. Henson, who both responded with laughing emojis.

Other celebrities, including Andy Cohen and Roseanna Arquette, weighed in on Twitter.

Arquette offered more serious support of the couple -- and Cohen offered Meghan a seat on his reality show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Other social media users quickly played up the reports that Harry and Meghan blindsided the royal family with their announcement.

ABC News understands that none of the other members of the royal family were made aware of the contents of Harry and Meghan's statement before it was released.

The hashtag #MEGXIT, a play on Brexit, quickly trended on Twitter, with some people celebrating Harry and Meghan's break from tradition while dreaming up the possibility of royals in the workplace.

(MORE: Prince Harry, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/uk-royals" id="_ap_link_Meghan Markle_UKRoyals_" target="_blank">Meghan Markle</a> announce plan to 'step back as senior members of the Royal Family')

And of course, no opportunity was missed on Twitter to foresee how Harry and Meghan's move could play out on future seasons of "The Crown," the Netflix drama about Britain's royal family.

Regardless how the royal shakeup turns out, one thing's for certain: the internet is having fun.

Related Topics
  • Royal Family

Editor’s Picks

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle make 1st public appearance since holiday break

  • Jan 07, 2020

Prince Harry and Meghan's Christmas card, starring Archie, is revealed

  • Dec 23, 2019

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle announce plan to 'step back as senior members of the Royal Family'

  • Jan 08, 2020
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