In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan released their bombshell statement to social media which revealed they were stepping back from their royal roles and were going to split their time between the UK and the US where they would "work to become financially independent".
At the time, multiple sources reported that The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William had been shocked by the news and had not been consulted beforehand.
Her Majesty then invited her grandson, as well as Prince Charles and Prince William, to a 'Sandringham Summit' to discuss the plans for Harry's departure.
While it appeared that the couple's decision had been rushed, they had in fact been planning it for a long time, according to Diana, Princess of Wales' biographer, Andrew Morton.
The author spoke to The Mirror's podcast, Pod Save the Queen, about how early Harry and Meghan had started to think about leaving The Firm and claims that talks began just six months after their wedding.
Morton told the podcast: " Harry was having conversations in a London hotel with Oprah Winfrey back in November 2018, just six months after they'd been married.
"So they were thinking about a different direction of travel pretty early on.
"The irony is they had been given the keys to the first class lounge when Prince Harry was given the position of Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth.
"This was effectively the Queen's way of saying 'you do the rest of the world, leave William and Catherine to do the UK where they will eventually be the Heads of State.'"
The couple announced that they were stepping back from the Royal Family in January 2020.
Their statement 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.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said in response that discussions with the couple were "at an early stage” and added: "We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
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Elsewhere in the interview with Pod Save the Queen, Andrew Morton revealed that Prince Harry saw his marriage to Meghan as his way out of the Royal Family and why The Queen would have been understanding if they'd just taken a few years to think about their future roles.
Morton said: "They were thinking about living in New Zealand and they even spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand about this - so they had all kinds of plots and thoughts for their future.
"It didn't work out because when it actually comes down to it, Prince Harry is cursed with charisma but hates being a prince and I think that he saw Meghan as a way out. They didn't have to leave the Royal Family in the way that they did, but they did."
The author continued: "Back in the late 1940's after they married, The Queen and Prince Philip lived in Malta for a while as he was pursuing his career in the Royal Navy and many thought he would end up as First Lord of the Admiralty as he was such a star.
"They never thought for a minute that George VI would die so soon and thought that they would have 20 years or so on the fringes of the Royal Family.
"So The Queen has always been very understanding of anybody who wants to step back for a few years and just enjoy family life because you're a long time being a royal."
