After leaving the UK, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle started their new chapter of life in California over a year ago.
The wax figures of the couple were consequently removed from the royal family’s section at Madame Tussauds in London.
The waxworks have been relocated to a new Awards Party zone, to be with their showbiz pals George Clooney and Victoria and David Beckham.
A representative for the wax museum told Reuters that the waxworks of Harry and Markle were relocated on Thursday to replicate their move from Frogmore Cottage, their UK home, to California.
“Harry and Meghan have moved zones – Madame Tussauds London has moved its figures of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to their brand new Awards Party zone to reflect their move from Frogmore to Hollywood,” the wax museum said in a statement.
The British royal family is represented in a separate section of the wax museum, which includes sculptures of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Duchess Kate, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, and the late Prince Philip, as well as Harry and Meghan’s statues.
‘Ever watchful of the celebrity landscape, we’ve moved Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s figures to join their Hollywood friends, reflecting their new status on the world stage as A-list favourites,’ Tim Waters, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, told The Sun.
With an estimated 10 million visitors per year, Madame Tussauds is a renowned tourist attraction in London.
It allows people who haven’t been able to meet their favorite celebrities in person to take selfies and snaps of them.
The wax figures of Harry and Meghan are placed in front of glistening marquee lights.
The wax figures are also dressed in costumes similar to those worn by the pair during their final engagement in the UK as working royals in March 2020. They arrived at the Endeavour Fund Awards in London sharing an umbrella against a rainy backdrop, which photographer Samir Hussein caught in a now-viral frame.
According to a press release from Madame Tussauds, the change reflects Harry and Meghan’s “decision to swap Frogmore [Cottage] for Hollywood,” as well as their “progressive new role within the royal institution.”
The statues of Harry and Meghan join those of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, David Beckham, and other actors in their new home at the museum.
The Sussexes’ was replicas previously stood next to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, along with Kate Middleton and Prince William.
Madame Tussauds cut the couple’s figures from the royal family’s segment in January 2020, after Harry and Markle revealed in an Instagram article that they were stepping down from their official duties as Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
After a prolonged closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, Madame Tussauds in London is scheduled to reopen on Monday, May 17. As viewers see Harry and Meghan’s wax counterparts again, they will have a “refreshed look” — a navy suit and blue dress, which appears to be a reference to the looks they wore during their March 2020 return to the United Kingdom.
‘Meghan continues to carve out her own modern take on life as a royal, and we want to mirror her independent celebrity status in the attraction,’ said Steve Davies, the museum’s former General Manager.
‘We’ve got to respect their wishes #Megxit,’ the venue tweeted last year after the figures were withdrawn from the remainder of the royal collection.
‘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,’ Steve said at the time.
‘From today Meghan and Harry’s figures will no longer appear in our Royal Family set.
‘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 the them.’
Before their royal wedding in May 2018, Madame Tussauds debuted Markle and Harry’s waxworks.
According to The Independent, the museum split up Markle and Harry’s figures at one point, putting Markle with other actors and Harry with the royal family.
In February, Buckingham Palace announced that they will not be returning as working royals. “As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role,” a spokesperson for the duo said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time. “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
The famous tourist attraction’s new development comes after a royal analyst said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in a “petty transatlantic popularity contest” with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The duke and duchess are expecting their second child, a baby girl, this summer in Santa Barbara, California. “The Bench,” Markle’s first children’s book, will be released in the United States on June 8. The novel, which is illustrated by Christian Robinson, examines the relationship between a father and a son through the eyes of a mother.
