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After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their depature from royal life and that they would work towards becoming financially independent, their waxwork statues at the Madame Tussauds in London were removed from a display that featured other members of the royal family. The move has since been criticised on social media, with some even terming the decision racist.
The statues of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were originally placed next to that of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. In a tweet that had the hashtag #Megxit, which dominated trends on social media, the wax museum shared a photo of the new display of the royal family.
“We’ve got to respect their wishes,” it wrote.
Madame Tussauds, which contains more than 250 wax models of celebrities, said the two figures will go in a separate section, away from that which includes Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Prince William and his wife Kate.
“Alongside the rest of the world, we are reacting to the surprising news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be stepping back as senior Royals,” said general manager Steve Davies.
He added in a statement: “As two of our most popular and well-loved figures, they will of course remain an important feature at Madame Tussauds London as we watch to see what the next chapter holds for them.”
The museum’s decision drew flak on social media. One person asked why Prince Philip’s figurine wasn’t moved given he had retired and if they removed Princess Diana’s figure after she separated from Prince Charles. Some thought it was “very petty” and “immature” given the couple are still part of the royal family. Many also called for a boycott of the wax museum.
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Madame Tussauds in London had unveiled a statue of Markle and a revamped version of Prince Harry’s wax statue in 2018, right before their wedding.
This isn’t the first time the wax museum had altered the positioning of the couple’s statues. In August 2019, the museum separated the statue of the Duchess of Sussex from Prince Harry to reflect her “independent celebrity status”. Markle’s statue was moved into the “A-list party room” to reunite it with some of her famous friends, including Priyanka Chopra, the Beckhams and Tom Hardy, all of whom attended the wedding.
