It was January 8, 2020 when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would be stepping down as senior members of Britain's royal family.
The move wasn’t perhaps quite as shocking as the British tabloids, which went into collective meltdown over the news, made out.
As far back as 2016, Prince Harry had indicated feelings of discontent, particularly with the treatment of his then-girlfriend at the hands of the media.
In November that year, Kensington Palace released a statement, saying: “[Harry’s] girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
And the couple followed up in April 2020 by writing to the editors of UK publications The Mail Online, The Mirror, The Express and The Sun, stating they would no longer work with them or allow them access to their schedules and tours.
“It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print – even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason,” the statement said.
After announcing their intent to step down in January, the couple officially parted ways with The Firm on March 31, 2020.
Here are some key events that have taken place in the past year.
Blindsided Palace scrambles over ‘complicated’ split
Taking to Instagram on January 8, 2020, Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, announced they were stepping down as senior royals, saying the decision had come “after many months of reflection and internal discussions”.
“We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” they said, insisting that despite quitting the UK for North America, they were “continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth and our patronages.”
However, it was believed that Queen Elizabeth II and other royals had not been expecting the announcement and were left blindsided by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s statement.
This led to Buckingham Palace rushing out its own statement the following day, declaring: “Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
“I think it indicates a real strength of feeling in the palace tonight – maybe not so much about what has been done, but about how it has been done – and the lack of consultation I think will sting,” said BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond.
From Canada to California
One month after their announcement, the pair were ordered to cease using the title “royal”, meaning they had to rebrand their SussexRoyal Instagram and rethink a host of initiatives under the name.
The pair, along with baby Archie, then moved to Canada in March 2020, opting to stay at a private residence on Vancouver Island, while diplomats from both Britain and Canada fought over who would be footing their security bill.
However, less than one month later, the couple quit the Commonwealth country for Los Angeles, holing up at the mansion of Hollywood actor and producer Tyler Perry. They then snapped up a nine-bedroom $14.7 million home in Santa Barbara, California, which Prince Charles is said to have helped them buy.
"They were always heading to LA, that was the master plan," Vanity Fair's royal correspondent, Katie Nicholl, said. "Meghan wants to be near her mum, which is understandable at this time, and they clearly have projects in the pipeline and wanted to get to LA as quickly as possible."
$135 million in endorsement deals and charity work
Before they quit the British royal family, together, Meghan and Harry were said to be worth around $30 million, with Harry bringing $25 million from his inheritance from Princess Diana and an annual allowance from Prince Charles.
The pair’s first step towards financial independence came in the form of a deal with streaming giant Netflix, which they signed in September 2020. Rumoured to be worth around $100 million, in a statement, the couple said: “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.”
In between taking on new charitable endeavours for LA's baby2baby, as well as delivering food to vulnerable people during the height of the pandemic, the duke and duchess also signed a deal with Swedish audio streamer, Spotify, said to be worth $35 million.
Harry said the purpose of the podcasts and interviews he and Meghan will be releasing through their Archewell Audio concept will be “to bring forward different perspectives and voices that perhaps you haven't heard before and find our common ground.”
Their first podcast, released at the end of last year, featured Elton John, Deepak Chopra, James Corden, Tyler Perry and more, talking about the effect the pandemic had had upon their lives.
Paying back renovation costs
One criticism the couple drew when stepping down was the wasted cost of renovating Frogmore Cottage, their Windsor Castle residence, which had been revitalised in 2019.
In September 2020, Prince Harry repaid the £2.4 million in British taxpayers’ money that was used to renovate the property before he and Meghan moved to California.
Harry made a contribution to the Sovereign Grant, the public money that goes to the royal family, a spokesman for the couple said, adding that the donation “fully covered the necessary renovation costs".
The spokesman said Frogmore Cottage would remain the home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they visit the UK.
Developing their foundation
With charity at the heart of Harry and Meghan’s work, the pair have been busy building their Archewell Foundation, which they established after leaving the royal family.
Recently posting an open letter to the site, the couple wrote: “Together, we can choose courage, healing, and connection. Together, we can choose to put compassion in action. We invite you to join us. As we work to build a better world, one act of compassion at a time.”
Harry also shared a photo of himself as a child with his mother, Diana, while Meghan shared a sweet snap of herself with her mum, Doria. The Foundation has already entered into partnerships with the Centre for Humane Technology and the World Central Kitchen, among others, while the audio and studio arms focus on their various productions.
“The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly,” said Harry in a speech shortly after the news about Megxit broke. “It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.”
And with foundations and institutes clamouring to work with Archewell, and a continued stream of Spotify podcasts and Netflix shows on the horizon for this year, the general feeling in both the worlds of business and philanthropy is that Harry and Meghan’s brand will go from strength to strength in 2021.
