Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Take a Step Back From Senior Duties: Everything We Know About Their Rocky Royal Path

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Take a Step Back From Senior Duties: Everything We Know About Their Rocky Royal Path

Royal rule breakers. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan (née Markle) may have shocked the world with their plans to take a step back from their royal duties in January 2020, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have seemingly been planting the seeds for years. Harry and Meghan, who met in 2016, exchanged vows in front of family and friends at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in England in May 2018. Shortly after the nuptials, sources told Us Weekly that the former actress, who moved to England to be with Harry, was “very overwhelmed with all the rules of the palace.” “She understands why they’re there, but she’s still learning,” one source said at the time. “The palace has been really good and supportive of her, but she’s still learning her new life.” A second source told Us at the time that Meghan struggled with the palace’s rules about social media and making public comments to the press. The Suits alum specifically struggled when she wasn’t allowed to speak out regarding her drama with her father, Thomas Markle, who was caught staging photos with the paparazzi days before Harry and Meghan’s wedding. [jwplayer 8kQ9cdhz-l3ahXupL] “She’s essentially not able to prevent these kind of stories. Now, everything has to go through official palace,” the insider told Us in July 2018. “She doesn’t have her own publicist, she can’t make any comments on Twitter and she can’t reach out to him to tell him to stop speaking to the press. Her father’s comments have an effect on everything.” Harry and Meghan welcomed their first child together, a son named Archie, in May 2019. The pair made it clear that they weren’t going to follow royal tradition when they opted to keep their son’s christening intimate and private. (The event usually isn’t kept from the public.) “The queen accepted Harry and Meghan’s decision to keep the event private,” a royal insider told Us in July 2019. The insider added, however, that Prince William and Duchess Kate “weren’t happy about it.” “William thinks his brother is going overboard keeping Archie out of the spotlight,” the source noted. Harry and Meghan made waves on January 8, 2020, when they officially announced their decision to take a “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family.” Scroll through for a complete breakdown of the couple’s unique royal path:

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Take a Step Back From Senior Duties: Everything We Know About Their Rocky Royal Path

Royal rule breakers. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan (née Markle) may have shocked the world with their plans to take a step back from their royal duties in January 2020, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have seemingly been planting the seeds for years. Harry and Meghan, who met in 2016, exchanged vows in front of family and friends at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in England in May 2018. Shortly after the nuptials, sources told Us Weekly that the former actress, who moved to England to be with Harry, was “very overwhelmed with all the rules of the palace.” “She understands why they’re there, but she’s still learning,” one source said at the time. “The palace has been really good and supportive of her, but she’s still learning her new life.” A second source told Us at the time that Meghan struggled with the palace’s rules about social media and making public comments to the press. The Suits alum specifically struggled when she wasn’t allowed to speak out regarding her drama with her father, Thomas Markle, who was caught staging photos with the paparazzi days before Harry and Meghan’s wedding. [jwplayer 8kQ9cdhz-l3ahXupL] “She’s essentially not able to prevent these kind of stories. Now, everything has to go through official palace,” the insider told Us in July 2018. “She doesn’t have her own publicist, she can’t make any comments on Twitter and she can’t reach out to him to tell him to stop speaking to the press. Her father’s comments have an effect on everything.” Harry and Meghan welcomed their first child together, a son named Archie, in May 2019. The pair made it clear that they weren’t going to follow royal tradition when they opted to keep their son’s christening intimate and private. (The event usually isn’t kept from the public.) “The queen accepted Harry and Meghan’s decision to keep the event private,” a royal insider told Us in July 2019. The insider added, however, that Prince William and Duchess Kate “weren’t happy about it.” “William thinks his brother is going overboard keeping Archie out of the spotlight,” the source noted. Harry and Meghan made waves on January 8, 2020, when they officially announced their decision to take a “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family.” Scroll through for a complete breakdown of the couple’s unique royal path:

Credit: Jeremy Selwyn/Pool/Shutterstock

Separate Royal Charities

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex distanced themselves from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when thet split from their joint charity.

“The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex has today announced the conclusions of a review into its structure, and how it will best support Their Royal Highnesses with future charitable activity,” Kensington Palace said in a statement in June 2019. “Later this year The Royal Foundation will become the principal charitable and philanthropic vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will establish their own new charitable foundation with transitional operating support from The Royal Foundation.”

The decision came more than a year after Meghan made her first — and only — appearance with the charity at the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum in February 2018.

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Royal PDA

The twosome have never been afraid to show public displays of affection during engagements, an act royal couples typically refrain from to remain professional.

“They are almost never sitting next to each other without holding each other’s hands when they are out at a big public, official event,” a source told Us about Harry and Meghan in October 2019. “He’s a gentleman around her. He opens the door, pulls the chair out and stands up every time she leaves the table. … He clearly appreciates all the little things she does.”

Credit: Courtesy The Duke and Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

How They’re Raising Archie

“[Harry] grew up with the entire world watching his every move, which has made him very private and somewhat resentful of the royal he was born into,” a source told Us in October 2018. “He does not want that for his own children.”

After Meghan gave birth to Archie in May 2019, the couple confirmed that their son would not be given an official royal title.

“Meghan likes to do things her way,” an insider told Us at the time. “She’s a very strong woman who wants to use her role to modernize the monarchy, which is one of the reasons she and Harry decided to reject a title for Archie. [She and Prince Harry] want their son to lead a normal life.”

The source added: “For Meghan, it’s just as important for Archie to learn about her family history as it is for him to learn about his royal ancestors, so she plans to go on a trip to L.A. with him once she’s comfortable taking him on a plane.”

Credit: Shutterstock

Holidays Away From the Queen

Harry and Meghan made headlines in November 2019 when the palace confirmed that they weren’t spending Christmas with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Duchess Kate or any members of the royal family. Instead, the twosome spent the holidays in Canada with their son. The news came as a surprise after Meghan made history as the only fiancée to attend the festivities in December 2017.

“The Duke of Sussex has been a frequent visitor to Canada over many years, and it was also home to The Duchess for seven years before she became a member of the Royal Family,” their spokesperson told Us in December 2019. “They are enjoying sharing the warmth of the Canadian people and the beauty of the landscape with their young son.”

Credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock

Making Moves

After opting to move to Frogmore Cottage —away from William and Kate and Kensington Palace — Us exclusively revealed in October 2019 that Harry and Meghan were debating making the move to Canada. “Meghan and Harry have considered moving to Canada, as it’s part of the Commonwealth,” a source told Us at the time.

In January 2020, new reports revealed that the pair were still debating the move. While the palace refused to comment on “speculation,” they did not shut down the reports at the time.

Credit: MEGA

Breaking Fashion Rules

Meghan has opted to wear open-toed shoes in the past, even though that type of footwear is frowned upon by the royal family. The former actress has also never been afraid to rock dark nail polish and ditch the pantyhose.

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Taking Legal Action Against the Press

Harry and Meghan’s decision to file a lawsuit against the British media was an unprecedented move for the royal family.

“I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in,” Harry said in a lengthy statement in October 2019. “There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives. Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.”

Harry concluded that the press was “bullying” the duchess. The prince’s statement marked the second time he publicly defended Meghan. He previously defended his then-girlfriend in a passionate statement ​condemning sexist and racist ​comments in November 2016.

“It’s an accumulation, and Harry refuses to sit and do nothing as the British press scrutinizes Meghan and invades her privacy,” a source told Us in October 2019. “Meghan comes across as a strong woman, but she’s been deeply affected by the negative stories about her.”

Credit: Shutterstock

Taking a Step Back From Royal Duties

Harry and Meghan announced that they will no longer be senior members of the British royal family in January 2020: “We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”

Queen Elizabeth, however, implied that she wasn’t aware that Harry and Meghan were taking a step back from their royal roles with a statement of her own in January 2020: “Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

Royal Expert Richard Fitzwilliams added at the time that “the other royals didn’t know" of the Harry and Meghan's statement before it was released. "This really is extraordinary," Fitzwilliams told Us. "It’s totally irresponsible.”

Credit: Shutterstock

How They’re Working With the Media

After their shocking announcement in January 2020, the duke and duchess revealed plans to give the media “open access of their work.” Royal reporter Omid Scobie detailed their decision to “no longer participate in the Royal Rota system,” the pool in which local, regional and national media outlets register for opportunities to cover royal engagements, at the time.

Scobie explained that the couple will “engage with grassroots media organizations and young, up-and-coming journalists; invite specialist media to specific events/engagements to give greater access to their cause-driven activities, widening the spectrum of news coverage, provide access to credible media outlets focused on objective news reporting to cover key moments and events and continue to share information directly to the wider public via their official communications channels.”

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Losing Their HRH Titles

While they will remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the queen announced in a statement on January 18, 2020, that the couple will lose their His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness titles and completely step down as working members of the royal family. “I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family,” the queen said, adding that she hoped the new arrangement would allow them “to start building a happy and peaceful new life.” The agreement will also see the couple keeping their patronages, except for Harry’s three military roles: Captain General Royal Marines, Royal Air Force: Squadron Leader, Small Ships and Diving, and Royal Naval Command: Commodore-in-Chief, ABC News reported. Buckingham Palace revealed that the couple plan to repay the Sovereign Grant expenditure on Frogmore Cottage. The home in the queen’s Windsor estate will remain their U.K. home.