‘MEGXIT’ three years on
It is 36 months since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step away from their positions as senior royals. Here, woman&home looks back at the timeline of key moments since their shock announcement
The couple surprise the world by announcing they intend to quit as senior royals, become financially independent and spend more time in North America. It’s agreed they will step away as working royals and will forfeit their HRH titles.
January 2020
March 2020
April 2020
September 2020
The Sussexes attend their last official engagement, the annual Commonwealth Day service, before moving to a £11 million mansion in Montecito, California.
The couple announce the replacement of their Sussex Royal brand, a charitable foundation, Archewell, named after their son, Archie, and confirm they will no longer cooperate with parts of the British media.
July 2020
Leaked court documents show Meghan claims she was ‘unprotected by the institution’ when stories were written about her and that she was ‘prohibited from defending herself’.
August 2020
The couple are forced to deny they cooperated with a book titled Finding Freedom.
The Sussexes sign a deal with Netflix to create a range of content, reported to be worth $100 million. They pay back the £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money used to renovate Frogmore Cottage.
November 2020
In the New York Times, Meghan reveals she suffered a miscarriage in July.
December 2020
February 2021
The couple sign a deal with audio service Spotify, thought to be worth millions.
Meghan wins her High Court case against The Mail on Sunday after a two-year fight. The couple announce they are expecting their second child. Later that month, ‘Megxit’ becomes permanent, when the couple are stripped of their patronages. Harry is interviewed by James Corden, and claims the ‘toxic’ atmosphere created by the press forced him to leave the UK.
March 2021
March 2021
The Times reports a bullying complaint against Meghan (which she denies) made by the couple’s former communications secretary, Jason Knauf, back in 2018. The Duchess says she is ‘saddened’ by the report, while Buckingham Palace says the HR team will investigate the claims but the report will not be published.
The couple are interviewed by Oprah. Meghan claims the palace ‘perpetuated falsehoods’ about them and opens up about dealing with suicidal thoughts while pregnant with Archie. Ultimately, she says she decided not to go through with taking her own life so Harry ‘wouldn’t lose’ another woman close to him. The pair say questions were raised about what Archie’s skin tone will be like, while appearing to insinuate their son was not given a title due to his race. Harry speaks
about his fractured relationship with his brother and father, saying he believes they are ‘trapped’. The couple also reveal their baby is a girl.
March 2021
The Queen releases a statement to say the ‘whole family is saddened’ about the revelations and says the issues of race are ‘concerning’. She adds that ‘some recollections may vary’.
April 2021
Following the death of his grandfather Prince Philip, Prince Harry returns to the UK alone to attend the funeral.
June 2021
The pair welcome their second child, Lilibet Diana MountbattenWindsor. Meghan publishes her first children’s book, The Bench.
April 2022
The pair pack on the PDA during their appearances at the Invictus Games, held in the Netherlands.
June 2022
Harry and Meghan return to the UK for the first time together since their exit, for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, attending a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral. They celebrate Lilibet’s first birthday while in the UK.
August 2022
In a new interview, Meghan claims she has ‘never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking’ and adds she is ‘still healing’ from her experience as a royal. Meghan releases the first of her Archetypes podcasts for Spotify, in which she gives anecdotes about royal life.
September 2022
The couple are in the UK when the Queen falls ill. Harry rushes to Balmoral, but news of the Queen’s passing is announced while he is on an aeroplane. In his first address as King Charles III, the monarch sends his love to the Sussexes. The couple join the Cambridges to view tributes in Windsor. Harry is allowed to wear his military uniform during a vigil at his grandmother’s coffin. Later, he walks alongside William during the state funeral.
October 2022
Meghan appears on the cover of Variety. She expresses her ‘deep gratitude’ to have been able to ‘get to know’ the Queen.
November 2022
The latest series of The Crown, depicting Prince Harry as a teenager, is released.
December 2022
The couple’s Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, is released. The six-episode series details the couple’s life from the start of their relationship to stepping down as senior royals and beyond, and is not short of revelations, nor accusations.
January 2023
Harry’s tell-all book, Spare, is due to be released on 10 January after reports of delays due to the passing of the Queen.