FROM THE FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE TO THEIR STEP BACK FROM ROYAL LIFE, WE TELL THE STORY OF MEGHAN AND HARRY’S RELATIONSHIP AND EXAMINE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR DECISION
When Prince Harry met and fell in love with Meghan Markle, their romance captured the nation’s hearts.
A whirlwind courtship culminated in a picture-perfect engagement announcement in the grounds of Kensington Palace; a few months later, the newly anointed Duke and Duchess of Sussex said “I do” in a fairytale ceremony in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, as an international TV audience of millions watched.
Harry and Meghan were seen as a breath of fresh air, the couple vowing to make the most of their positions by helping the causes and charities closest to their hearts.
Close ties with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seemed to be the jewel in the crown of the royal family, while the Sussexes embarked on international tours and made inroads into changing people’s lives, visiting charities and organisations up and down the country.
The arrival of son Archie last May last year looked like the icing on the cake of a blessed life.
However, cracks were beginning to show behind the scenes and, eventually, Meghan and Harry bared their emotions in a TV documentary during their tour of Africa.
Those fractures grew into a chasm when, after an extended Christmas break in Canada, the couple last week announced they would be stepping back from senior royal duties.
HELLO! looks at the highlights of their time in the royal spotlight and answers the big questions their decision has raised…
‘Harry is stating what many of us have known about him for years. He doesn’t want to be royal’
‘Harry is unlikely to ever be able to live a totally private life, however far behind he leaves the royal family’
What have the Sussexes announced?
The couple have confirmed that, “after many months of reflection and internal discussions”, they have decided to carve out a “progressive” new role
