Prince Harry ‘reluctantly left royal family after being given ultimatum’
Prince Harry had hoped to remain part of royal life before a make-or-break negotiation led him to sever ties, an expert has said.
The Duke of Sussex, alongside his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as senior members of the ‘firm’ in January 2020. The couple cited a ‘really difficult environment’ as a key reason for their decision, alongside allegations of racism and lack of institutional support.
Six years on, royal historian Hugo Vickers has shed light on the situation, claiming that Harry ‘reluctantly left’ after being given an ultimatum.
In his new biography, ‘Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History,’ he explains that the prince was ‘keen to discuss a way forward with the Queen.’
The conversation reportedly came after he and Meghan visited Africa in 2019 — the same trip where Meghan admitted to journalist Tom Bradby that she was ‘not OK,’ and was ‘struggling’ as a new mother within the royal family and under the intense public spotlight.
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Upon their return, Vickers states that Harry went to Sandringham for a meeting to discuss his and Meghan’s options.
‘He wanted a half-in, half-out arrangement, whereby he would be self-financing but could still work for the royal family,’ Vickers wrote.
‘In the new year of 2020, the three Private Secretaries, Sir Edward Young, Sir Clive Alderton and Simon Case, went into summit mode on the Sandringham estate and drafted their proposal.’
There, Harry was reportedly told it was ‘either all in or all out.’ Which, according to Vickers, was why the Sussexes spent Christmas of that year overseas. ‘He returned to Canada — reluctantly out,’ he said.
Harry and Meghan officially announced their departure from the royal family and started their new life in California with Prince Archie in June 2020.
A year later, their daughter, Princess Lilibet, was born there.
Their official departure statement said: ‘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.’
The notice revealed that Harry and Meghan intended to ‘step back as “senior” members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, whilst continuing to fully support Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
‘It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.’
Following the announcement, the late Queen Elizabeth publicly responded with her own statement.
The former monarch said that ‘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.’
In 2023, after the release of Harry’s best-selling — but explosive — memoir ‘Spare’, the couple were requested to vacate Frogmore Cottage.
Since stepping down, Harry has only returned to the UK a handful of times, including for his grandmother’s funeral. His wife, Meghan, was also in attendance.
As for Archie and Lilibet, the siblings have only visited their father’s native country once since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated — together as a family in June 2022 to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.