Madame Tussauds removes wax figures of Prince Harry and Meghan from its Royal Family set

Less than 24 hours after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued a shocking statement to "step back" from their roles as senior members of the British royal family, Madam Tussaud's in London announced that it has removed the waxworks of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from its Royal Family set.

The museum said in a statement that the waxworks had been removed from its display to "mirror the [couple's] progressive new role within the Royal institution."

In the previous display, Harry's and Meghan's figures had stood next to those of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, and of Prince William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

According to Steve Davies, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, "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."

"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 them," Davies said.

The statues at New York's Tussauds location will follow a similar fate.

"To reflect the announcement we will be moving the popular figures to another area in the attraction upon their return to Madame Tussauds New York. We look forward to spending more time with the couple in North America and we will continue to watch to see what the next chapter holds for them," Brittany Williams, a spokesperson from Madame Tussauds New York, said in a statement.

Meghan's waxwork was revealed last year at both London and New York's Tussauds locations ahead of the Royal wedding at Windsor; each statue cost roughly £150,000 ($195,000) to make.

But after a turbulent year which saw a widening rift with the media and reports of differences with elder brother Prince William, Harry said the couple hoped to become financially independent and set up a new charity, while continuing some royal duties. The couple revealed that they would be spending more time in North America.

The move, being dubbed on social media as #Megxit, appears to have wrongfooted Royal family members, including the queen.