From lavish wedding to non-royals: A timeline of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's 'Megxit'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will soon begin their new lives as non-royals, after announcing they will be stepping aside from their royal duties to lead more “independent lives”.
From their lavish royal wedding to “Megxit”, here's a timeline of how the couple got here.
Prince Harry weds Markle — May 2018
In a wedding watched by millions worldwide, Prince Harry tied the knot with Markle, who became the first African-American to be married to a British royal.
Markle and Prince Harry pregnant — October 2018
Five months after their wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were expecting their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
No strangers to breaking royal traditions and protocol, they said they would live at Frogmore Estate instead of Kensington Palace with the rest of the family, according to Insider.
Private Christening for Archie — July 2019
In July 2018, Archie was Christened in a private ceremony attended by 25 close family members.
The couple released pictures of Archie's Christening on their Instagram page instead of distributing them to the media.
Harry condemns press for bullying Markle — October 2019
Harry released a scathing statement, promising to take action against UK media, particularly Daily Mail, which he accused of bullying Markle. This followed the publication by the newspaper of a private, handwritten letter by Meghan to her father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018.
“I have seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
Spending Christmas away from the family- December 2019
Daily Mail revealed that Markle and Harry celebrated their first Christmas in a luxurious mansion in Canada with Markle's mother, Doria Ragland. According to the publication, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent the holiday season away from the royal family, even after they were asked to return when Prince Philip was hospitalised.
Harry and Markle announce decision to “step back”- January 2020
The new year started with the couple announcing that they would be stepping back as “senior” members of the royal family.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We now plan to balance our time between the UK and North America, continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth and our patronages.”
Markle and Harry lose their HRH titles- January 2020
After numerous meetings between the members of the royal family, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming that Markle and Harry would no longer be called His and Her Royal Highness.
“The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal family.”
The statement also confirmed that the pair would no longer receive public funds for royal duties and would repay the sovereign grant expenditure for the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, their UK home.
Harry said he wanted to keep titles — January 2020
Prince Harry said he wanted to keep his royal titles, but not receive public funds.
He was speaking at a charity dinner on Sunday.
He told the crowd that he was still the same person the world had accepted and welcomed.