Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent shockwaves around the world five years ago when they took to social media with a bombshell statement announcing their intention to step back as working members of the Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex published a statement on their @sussexroyal account on January 8 2020 without consulting any other Royal Family members, a move that reportedly left Buckingham Palace “disappointed”.
In the statement, the couple said they wanted to “carve out a progressive new role” and become “financially independent” while continuing to support the Queen. They also said they would be balancing their time between the United Kingdom and North America.
While the couple’s aims did not turn out as planned, with Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly having to choose between either being in or out of the Royal fold, the situation was also more complex behind the scenes.
Here is what happened in the minutes and days after the bombshell announcement:
After the announcement was made by the couple on their social media account, it is reported that Buckingham Palace had to quickly put their own statement together.
This is because neither Harry, 40, nor Meghan, 43, had consulted the Palace about the statement before uploading it online, a move that reportedly left the Royal Family “hurt”.
BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said at the time: “A palace source tells the BBC that senior members of the Royal Family feel ‘hurt’ by the announcement that Harry and Meghan are to withdraw from their current Royal roles. The source confirmed that no members of the royal family were consulted.”
Buckingham Palace managed to pull together a brief short statement on January 8 in response to Harry and Meghan’s announcement. The statement read: “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.”
After the initial shock settled, Queen Elizabeth II – who was reigning monarch at the time – organised a meeting between herself, the then Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry.
This took place on January 13 and was labelled the Sandringham summit. Following on from the meeting, which resulted in Harry being told he could not have a half-in and half-out approach, Queen Elizabeth II released a statement.
It read: “Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
The statement continued: “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days.”
While this made the meeting seem constructive, Harry later described it in a very different way. The duke said: “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things that just simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”
Days later on January 18, it was officially confirmed that Harry and Meghan will no longer be working royals and cannot use their HRH titles. A statement was released by both Buckingham Palace and Queen Elizabeth confirming the news that they would no longer be representing Her Majesty.
In the statement, the late Queen wished the couple well, saying they “will always be much loved members” of her family.
Since 2020, Harry and Meghan have lived in Montecito, California, with their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.