Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
A year ago, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their decision to step away from royal duty – a departure that would change the royal family forever.
“Meghan and Harry took a big leap of faith to embark on their new life,” a source close to the couple told People in this week’s cover story.
It was a leap that would reshape not only the royal family, but also the monarchy.
Harry, 36, who has long felt marginalized by the role of “reserve” in the line of succession – an issue that has plagued generations of royal brothers, including Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret – “has finally found a solution,” says the royal historian Robert Lacey, “which is essentially going out and starting a new life. Staying in the real system is accepting subservience to those older than you. He has affirmed his own identity.”
This “new progressive role”, as the couple described in their previous statement, describing the change – including earning their own income – offered a new start. “It has always been his dream to be financially independent and pay his own expenses,” says the source close to the couple. With this dream finally realized, “The year started with a lot of emotion and expectation”, says a source close to the prince. “Harry was finally doing what he wanted for years, and having Meghan and [19-month-old son] Archie with him was all he could have asked for. “
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But, as the world would soon learn, nothing in 2020 went according to plan. The couple’s scheduled launch of their charity Archewell Foundation and their intention to “balance” their time between the United States and the United Kingdom would soon be interrupted by the unforeseen chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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When the pandemic hit exactly when the details of the so-called “Sandringham Summit” agreement went into effect in March, it soon became clear that much of the deal the couple hoped to reach would not be. But if they didn’t leave the UK with everything they wanted, they left with the biggest prize: the freedom to set their own course.
Henk Kruger / AP / Shutterstock Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Archie in South Africa in September 2019.
“Despite everything that is happening this year, they do not regret their move to the United States,” said a source. “They love being able to focus on projects and causes that are important to them.”