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."
Northwestern graduate moving closer to home after spending time abroad https://t.co/TZ18eIOXdQ
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) January 8, 2020
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: Prince Harry and Meghan step back from royal duties: All your burning questions answered)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."
Though there are many serious events to pay attention to I applaud Meghan and Harry for stepping back from Royal duties they will be doing great humanitarian work in the world and they are educated and fully capable of making their own livings this move is integrity driven. 👏
— Rosanna Arquette🌎✌🏼 (@RoArquette) January 9, 2020
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.
Meghan Markle to the Royal Family pic.twitter.com/0QJtu1aSRa
— trey taylor (@treytylor) January 8, 2020
Here’s the actual note Meghan left on the Queen’s desk. pic.twitter.com/m58NibXhQE
— Karyne Levy (@karynelevy) January 8, 2020
The people in the palace who had to tell the rest of the royal family. #Megxit pic.twitter.com/wcofsJEyuq
— Aly 💝💜💙 (@alyrae) January 8, 2020
38F don't feel welcome in my husband [35M's home country. His family 93F, 98M, 71M, 72F, 37M, 37F and subjects all ages are very demanding. How can I convince him to set boundaries?
— Meredith Haggerty (@manymanywords) January 8, 2020
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.
Actively seeking a business development role at a fast-growing tech startup #jobsearch #Harrymeghan pic.twitter.com/dxgI9SLQqE
— Chris Whitehead (@Chris_Seek_) January 9, 2020
How's Harry going to get a real job without a last name though? #Megxit pic.twitter.com/wx84j2xmxF
— Jeremy Dickey (@JeremyDDickey) January 8, 2020
Honestly, breaking away from your family and paying rent in London? Brave. #Megxit
— Alex Anastassiou (@alexanasta_) January 8, 2020
Meghan Markle staying booked and busy now for the rest of the decade #Megxit pic.twitter.com/gmvta4Kq1w
— Khemani Gibson (@JamaicanScholar) January 8, 2020
🚨 WE’RE HIRING 🚨 pic.twitter.com/c7aJ6jjsS1
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 8, 2020
American Divorcées: 2
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) January 8, 2020
House of Windsor: 0
(MORE: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle announce plan to 'step back as senior members of the Royal Family')2020: the year of #Megxit pic.twitter.com/reyWePGdq5
— V’s Favorite Number is 11 (@senoritav76) January 8, 2020
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.
THIS IS THE SEASON OF 'THE CROWN' WE DESERVE. #megxit pic.twitter.com/TQ94KvgKL1
— Bradley Traynor (@bradleytraynor) January 8, 2020
Is this just so Meghan can play herself in The Crown? #Megxit pic.twitter.com/eTqqN3Lqd2
— Gerard McCarthy (@Gerard_McCarthy) January 8, 2020
One thing is for certain; in 5 years time, this is going to be a cracking episode on The Crown. #Megxit
— Prince Charles (@Charles_HRH) January 8, 2020
Season 8 Of The Crown Just Harry & Meghan Working At Starbucks #Megxit
— The Shovel (@TheShovel) January 8, 2020
Regardless how the royal shakeup turns out, one thing's for certain: the internet is having fun.
