Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were planning their escape from the UK before they spent millions of taxpayer cash on a lavish royal wedding and a £2.4m refurbish of the Windsor home.
Speaking in the couple's controversial new Netflix show, the Duke of Sussex admits they had been planning the shock move for "a minimum of two years". A quick look at the timeline shows this means they were hatching plans as early as January 2018 - fives months before their May wedding.
Initially the pair hoped to continue their royal work throughout the Commonwealth "in the name of the Queen" and not rely on taxpayer funding.
In 2018, Harry claims they discussed moving to New Zealand or South Africa - and almost did move to South Africa before the story was leaked to the press.
But Harry says they were forced to scrap the plan as it became a "public debate", so they desperately looked to find a new home while temporarily living in Canada in January 2020.
Harry recalled: "By the time I was speaking to my father from Canada, the family and their people knew that we were trying to find a different way of working for a minimum of two years.
The couple got married in May 2018, suggesting relationships within the Firm, and their thoughts on their roles had began to change even before Meghan Markle officially joined.
While the royal family covered the cost of the wedding itself, the Windsor celebration cost Thames Valley Police about £3.4m for officers and security measures.
The overall cost was never revealed, in the same way the costs of Prince William's wedding to the then Kate Middleton was also kept private.
Bridebook.co.uk, a wedding planning service, guessed the total cost of the wedding could be £32m - including the cost of security.
It put the cost of the cake at £50,000, the florist at £110,000, the catering at £286,000 - but this should be treated with some caution.
According to Harry's latest claim, their lengthy plans to leave The Firm predated their lavish makeover of their English home - Frogmore Cottage.
The huge home, which sits in the grounds of Windsor Castle, was gifted to them by the late Queen on their wedding day but was previously used as offices so needed a full refit. This is normal for newlyweds, and Kate and William spent a huge sum kitting out Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace to make it their dream family home.
The cost, estimated at £2.4m in 2018-19, was covered by taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant.
However Meghan and Harry agreed to pay the cost of the renovations back to the taxpayer after they quit their senior roles.
Prince Harry said the couple discussed their move as they looked at how best to protect their "mental health and wellbeing."
Speaking about their attempt to break away, the Duchess of Sussex said she "tried so hard” but that it "still wasn’t good enough."
Meghan claims that upon arriving in Canada after the couple’s final week of royal engagements, she broke down in tears in the arms of one of their security staff.
"We landed in Canada and one our security guards who had been with H for so long, and these guys were so wonderful, I just collapsed in his arms crying," she recalled.
"I was like: 'I tried so hard’, and he was like: ‘I know you did. I know you did ma’am, I know you did’.
"Like I tried so hard. And that’s the piece that’s really triggering because you go: ‘And it still wasn’t good enough. And you still don’t fit in’.”
