Harry and Meghan sign off royal Instagram account

Britain's Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle are to take a break from their royal Instagram account, they announced Monday as they prepare for life outside the royal inner circle.

"While you may not see us here, the work continues... We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You've been great!" the couple wrote on their "sussexroyal" Instagram account, signing off informally as Harry and Meghan.

The couple are due to leave the royal frontline on Tuesday, having told Queen Elizabeth II they wanted to pursue more independent lives.

"What's most important right now is the health and wellbeing of everyone," they wrote, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile." Harry and Meghan rocked the royal family when they announced in January they will no longer represent the monarchy.

They will no longer use the titles His and Her Royal Highness, while the queen and senior officials were said to have ordered them to stop using the word "royal" in their branding.

It had been thought they would base themselves in Canada, but The Sun said a move to California "had been planned for some time" and that the couple had "realised Canada would not work out for various reasons".

"They want to be based in the Los Angeles area," a source told the tabloid.

Meghan grew up in LA and her mother, Doria Ragland, still lives there.

Disney announced on Thursday that Meghan would narrate a new film about a family of African elephants, set for release on Friday.