THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to 'step back' from royal duties and divide their time between the UK and North America - amidst growing speculation that they have gone public about their plans without telling the Queen or Prince Charles first.

Harry and Meghan said in their ground-breaking personal statement they will work to become 'financially independent', while continuing to 'fully support' the Queen.

But a Buckingham Palace spokesman has warned it could be complicated.

He said: "Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage.

"We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through."

The Sussex's financial aims have been outlined on their official website which states the couple '...value the ability to earn a professional income, which in the current structure they are prohibited from doing. For this reason they have made the choice to become members of the royal family with financial independence'.

Any future role which the couple take on for financial gain will have to be scrutinised to ensure they are not seen as profiteering from their position as members of the monarchy.

In an ITV documentary they spoke about the pressures they have been facing and family rifts, and in a separate move Harry issued a damning statement against the media accusing sections of the press of bullying his wife.

The couple said in their statement: "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.

"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."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex currently live at their Frogmore Cottage home on the Windsor Estate when in the UK.

Taxpayers paid £2.4 million to renovate the Grade-2 listed building, before the couple moved in.