As a royal matchmaker, I'm thrilled Harry and Meghan are prioritising their marriage

There is no doubt that Harry and Meghan’s announcement last week that they will step away from royal duties is really about their relationship – to be specific, Meghan’s willingness to go from being a successful actor to a member of “The Firm”. In other words, they both decided to breakup with the royal family, rather than each other.

I’ve worked as a matchmaker for some of the world’s wealthiest families for twenty years. I’m all too familiar with how difficult “mixed class” marriages can be, even when royalty isn’t involved.

When someone from a prominent family falls for someone from a different background, I always advise their families to let the couple have their space – both physical space from the family, and cultural space between the two of them. The Queen gave Harry and Meghan the latter with a multicultural wedding that celebrated the best of both the bride and groom’s backgrounds. It appears she now has to give them the former by giving her blessing to their (part-time?) move to North America.

While there has been talk of the negative repercussions for the royal family, I believe this move will do Harry and Meghan’s relationship, and therefore the family they're part of, the world of good. The Duke and Duchess will feel more in control of their relationship – and although this definitely isn’t easy for anyone involved, I’m sure both the couple and the monarchy will come out of this stronger.

There are worse things that can happen in these situations. Ari Behn, the Norwegian author and playwright, was from 2002 to 2017 married to Princess Märtha Louise, the elder child of King Harald V of Norway. Last Christmas, he tragically took his own life. While married to Princess Louise, he said he had been chronically depressed and lonely – comments that will remind some of us of Meghan’s in October.

All of this will be painfully familiar to many of us from some cultures, particularly South Asian ones. In my culture, many families view a marriage as a business transaction or act of diplomacy. This is also how European royals traditionally viewed marriage: as a tool for strengthening relationships between different countries, or avoiding conflict (it remains to be seen if we will have to revert to this approach post-Brexit).

In such situations, where family and business are intertwined, it’s understandable that finding the right person – someone who can deliver the romance as well as meeting social and professional criteria – is a search worth investing in.This isn’t about superiority – it’s about compatibility. If you go to the gym twice a day, you’re unlikely to get on long-term with someone who last exercised in PE. If your life centres on creativity and free expression, a buttoned-up actuary may not be the best fit.

Marriage is already hard enough – why make it any harder?

Adeem Younis is the founder of SingleMuslim.Com.​