When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Credit: Photo by John Nacion/WireImage via Getty
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intention to step back as working members of the Royal Family in January 2020 and undertook their last official engagement in March. It’s widely reported that this came after Harry and Meghan’s supposed hope for a half-in, half-out arrangement was rejected by Queen Elizabeth.
At the time, the Sussexes’ announcement came as a shock to many, though there was a crucial moment the year before that signalled the couple were already edging away from “royal norms” towards their own way of doing things. Writing in his new book, The Windsor Legacy, author Robert Jobson described the birth of Prince Archie as a “shift”.
“Their baby son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who was seventh in line to the throne, arrived on 6 May 2019. His birth marked a shift as Harry and Meghan broke tradition, skipping the hospital photo call,” Robert wrote.
Credit: Photo by Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images
The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal and Survival by Robert Jobson | £11/$14.37 (Was £22/$28.74) at Amazon
This newly released biography of the Royal Family shares so many shocking insights and revelations. It covers everything from the Sussexes’ exit from royal life, to the scandals surrounding Prince Andrew.View Deal
Now known as Prince Archie of Sussex since his grandfather King Charles’s ascension to the throne, Harry and Meghan’s son was privately introduced to the world with a press photo call at Windsor Castle. This took place two days after his birth, “signalling” – in Robert’s view – “their move away from royal norms”.
The author alleged that “their decision ruffled feathers in the palace and the press”. It was certainly a very different way to introduce a royal baby than we’ve become used to. Archie’s cousins Prince George, Charlotte and Louis were all pictured with their parents outside St Mary’s Hospital in London where they were born.
By the time Prince Harry and Meghan’s daughter Princess Lilibet arrived, the Sussex family were living in the US and they announced her birth on their Archwell website. The first photo of her wasn’t shared until months later.
Credit: Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Their choice to do a private introduction in Windsor for Archie in 2019 was perhaps a mid-point between doing things in a way they felt comfortable with and adhering to royal customs. This “move away from royal norms” could be seen as an early signal that Harry and Meghan weren’t opposed to breaking traditions they felt didn’t align with their hopes for their family.
Just under a year later they attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in what was their final engagement at working royals. The Duke and Duchess later attended a Service of Thanksgiving during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee weekend in 2022 and were there with the royals in the lead-up to her funeral and at the State Funeral itself.
Credit: Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty
Only Prince Harry was there at King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in 2023, though it took place on Archie’s 4th birthday. Meghan remained in the US with him and Lilibet and the Duke of Sussex flew back home after the ceremony.
He met face-to-face with His Majesty at Clarence House in September, months after he told the BBC in an interview that he’d “love a reconciliation” with his family.
“There’s no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious,” Prince Harry added.