Why did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family?

Why did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family?
News Desk

By News Desk


Published: 25/09/2024

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the UK after stepping back from official royal duties.

The couple have since launched various commercial ventures, including a new lifestyle brand headed by Meghan Markle called American Riviera Orchard.

Why did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family?

Harry and Meghan met in 2016 and married in 2018. They stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.

Angry about media intrusion, they were frustrated that Buckingham Palace stopped them developing their "SussexRoyal" brand.

Harry remains a prince and is fifth in line to the throne.

The couple kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but are no longer addressed as his or her royal highness (HRH). Harry also gave up his military titles.

When Harry's father Charles became King, the couple's two children became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

Where do Harry and Meghan live?

Harry and Meghan moved to California in June 2020, saying they wanted space to raise Archie. Lilibet was born there in 2021.

The couple no longer has an official UK residence.

In early 2023, they were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property on the Windsor estate.

In April 2024, documents filed to Companies House listed the US as the country where Harry is usually resident, instead of the UK.

The change was dated 29 June 2023, thought to be the date the couple formally left Frogmore Cottage.

The conservative US think tank The Heritage Foundation has repeatedly raised questions about Harry's US immigration status because of his previous comments about taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.

It wants the government to release his records, to show whether drug use was disclosed - as this can block US visa applications.

But in September, US judge Carl Nichols ruled Prince Harry's visa application should remain private.

Separately, some reports had suggested the prince - who turned 40 on 15 September - was seeking a phased return to the UK.

However, OceanNewsUK royal correspondent Sean Coughlan said "well placed sources" had confirmed Prince Harry would continue to be based in the US, partly because of continuing concerns about his family's security arrangements.

Do Harry and Meghan still come to the UK?

The duke returned to the UK for a memorial service for his uncle Lord Robert Fellowes in Norfolk in August.

The Prince of Wales was also there, although the brothers reportedly did not speak to each other.

In May, Harry attended a service at St Paul's Cathedral in London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, the sporting competition for injured servicemen and women which he helped found.

He did not see his father Charles or his brother William during the visit.

In February, he flew back for a 45-minute meeting with Charles after Buckingham Palace announced that the King was being treated for cancer.

The duke has also returned to London several times for his various court cases against newspaper publishers.

Harry attended the King's coronation in May 2023 without Meghan.

The duke and duchess both came back to the UK for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, and her funeral in September of that year.

How do Meghan and Harry earn their money?

As working royals, they received 95% of their annual income from Harry's father, then Prince of Wales. The taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant made up the other 5%.

When they stepped down as senior royals, King Charles gave them "a substantial sum" to help establish their new life.

Harry and Meghan set up the Archewell charitable foundation, and entered into a number of commercial arrangements with private companies.

In February 2024 the couple launched their Sussex.com website, which says they are "shaping the future through business and philanthropy".

American Riviera Orchard

In March 2024, Meghan launched what appeared to be a new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

Little is known about the new venture, but in April 2024, pictures of branded jam jars circulated on social media, suggesting it may sell food products.

    Television and podcasts

    The Sussexes' media company, Archewell Productions, makes programmes for Netflix, under a deal thought to be worth millions of dollars.

    In April 2024, Archewell said two new series were in production, one celebrating "the joys of cooking & gardening, entertaining, and friendship", and another exploring the world of professional polo.

    In September, Netflix announced on X, formerly Twitter, that Polo would be broadcast in December.

    The couple previously featured in the Harry and Meghan documentary series, where they talked about life in the Royal Family, and The Heart of Invictus series, which discussed the duke's emotional "unravelling" after military service in Afghanistan.

    Archewell also made podcasts for Spotify under a contract thought to be worth $25m (£19.7m). The arrangement ended in June 2023.

    In February 2024, Meghan announced a new podcast deal with Lemonada Media.

    Books

    Harry's memoir, Spare, was published in January 2023.

    It discussed his relationship with his brother and father, as well as his grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

    The book's publishers promised $1.5m (£1.18m) and £300,000 would be given to the Sentebale and WellChild charities.

    Meghan wrote a children's book called The Bench in 2021.

    Inheritance

    William and Harry received the bulk of Princess Diana's £13m fortune when she died in 1997.

    In a 2021 interview, Harry told Oprah Winfrey this money funded his family's move to the US.

    He is also thought to have inherited millions from his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.

    It is not known whether the late Queen left him any money.

    Acting

    During her acting career, the Duchess of Sussex was reportedly paid $50,000 (£40,000) for each episode of the legal drama Suits.

    She appeared in more than 100 episodes.

    Why did Harry take the government to court over his security?

    After stepping back from official duties, the duke and duchess were no longer afforded the security arrangements provided for senior royals.

    When Harry first left the UK, he said it would be too dangerous to bring his family back without adequate police protection, and took the government to court.

    Home Office lawyers said the duke would still have publicly funded police security in the UK, under "bespoke arrangements".

    In late February 2024, the High Court ruled that this approach "was, and is, legally sound".

    In June, Harry's legal team said he had been given permission to challenge the High Court decision in the Court of Appeal.

    An earlier separate court ruling rejected the prince's request to be allowed to pay privately for more substantial protection.

    What is happening with Harry's other court cases?

    Harry settled a phone-hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers in February 2024.

    His lawyer said the duke had been awarded "substantial" damages. He was also granted £140,600 in damages in another part of the case.

    A number of other court cases are continuing, including:

    • claims from the duke and others that the Daily Mail-publisher Associated Newspapers unlawfully obtained information about him
    • claims that The Sun's publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) used illegal methods to gather information on the couple

    In June 2024, a High Court judge ordered Harry to explain why messages which might be relevant to his legal case against the publisher of the Sun have been deleted.

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