Meghan Markle and Prince Harry hit headlines again over the weekend after it was revealed to Express.co.uk that the US taxpayer would not “pick up the bill” following her decision to leave the Royal Family. The pair announced they would be stepping back from royal duties and effectively removed themselves from the family earlier this year. Not conforming to the traditional royal protocol, Meghan and Harry declared the news in an Instagram post in January.
The post read: “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 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.
“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.
“We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties.
“Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
The pair have largely been absent from Britain and the family ever since.
JUST IN: Prince Charles ‘no doubt regrets’ Meghan Markle and Harry’s move
Several pictures show the pair laughing and joking throughout the years.
Kate has been a feature of the Royal Family since 2011, when she and William married, but got to know Harry far earlier as she had been dating William since 2003.
It was during their royal wedding that a lip reader for the Mail on Sunday revealed Harry’s assessment of his brother’s new wife.
At 11am on the day, Kate revealed her much anticipated dress to the world as she stepped on to the red carpet outside the Abbey’s Great West Door.
According to the publication, her sister, Pippa Middleton, said “You look wonderful,” while Kate responded to other comments on her dress, saying “People have been working on it for days”.
Shortly after, Kate began walking down the aisle.
It was here that Harry was seen looking over his shoulder while standing next to his brother at the altar.
Following a short pause, laughing, Harry said: “Well, she looks beautiful, I can tell you that.”
Harry and Meghan have not been able to make even a single visit to the UK since moving to the US earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Their son, baby Archie, has not fully bonded with the Royal Family at home as a result.
The Queen and Prince Philip are reportedly “very sad” not to have spent time with their grandson.
Their sadness was furthered when Meghan returned from Canada to the UK in March without Archie.
She instead decided to leave the one-year-old with her family.