Here’s how that momentous period in the monarchy’s modern history unfolded.
The announcement
On January 7, 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex carried out an engagement at Canada House, in London, after briefly returning to the UK from their holiday on Vancouver Island.
Hours later, news broke that the couple were intending to step down as ‘senior royals’ to pursue a more private life away from Britain.
On January 8, in the evening UK time, Prince Harry and Meghan confirmed the rumours with a bombshell announcement on their now-defunct Instagram page, Sussex Royal, that they intended to leave their place as senior royals to pursue a financially independent life and split their time between the UK and North America.
“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,” Harry and Meghan wrote.
How the Queen reacted
The reaction from the royal family was swift, amid speculation the Sussexes had not told the Queen, Prince Charles or any other family members of their plans.
A statement from Buckingham Palace, also issued on January 8, was brief.
“Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” it read. “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
There were rumours Harry and Meghan had blindsided Her Majesty, leaving the monarch “disappointed”.
“A palace source tells the BBC that senior members of the Royal family feel ‘hurt’ by the announcement that Harry and Meghan are to withdraw from their current Royal roles,” the BBC reported.
“The source confirmed that no members of the royal family were consulted.”
The world’s reaction
Not surprisingly, Harry and Meghan’s royal exit was front page news both in Australia and in the UK, dominating headlines across all of Britain’s major publications.
The Guardian lead with: ‘Harry and Meghan to “step back as senior royals”‘
The Daily Telegraph stated: ‘Harry and Meghan quit the Firm’
The Times declared: ‘Harry and Meghan quit roles amid Palace split’
And in a phrase we’ve all come to associate with the move, The Sun simply read: ‘Megxit’
The Sandringham summit
On January 13, the Queen hosted a meeting at her country estate in Norfolk, now known as the Sandringham Summit.
Prince Charles cut short his trip to the Middle East to attend the talks, also attended by Prince William and of course, Prince Harry. Meghan remained in Canada having returned there after the Canada House engagement.
After the meeting, the monarch released an uncharacteristically personal statement saying the family was “entirely supportive” of their wishes to “create a new life as a young family.”
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” Queen Elizabeth II said in the statement.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.
“Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.
“Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.
“It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.
“These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days.”
Harry and Meghan’s compromise
One of the terms of the deal reached with the Queen, senior royals and the government was that Harry would have to give up all honourary military appointments.
Prince Harry expressed his sadness at the move during an event in honour of his charity, Sentebale, in February.
“The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly,” he revealed.
“It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven’t always got it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.”
Weeks after Harry and Meghan’s announcement, the Queen moved to stop the Sussexes using the ‘royal’ brand.
A royal source said: “As The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are stepping back as senior Members of the Royal family and will work towards financial independence, use of the word ‘Royal’, in this context, needed to be reviewed. Discussions are still ongoing.”
Soon after Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson confirmed: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ in any territory post Spring 2020.
“While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word ‘Royal,’ it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation, when it is announced this Spring, will not be named Sussex Royal Foundation.”
Harry and Meghan’s ‘farewell tour’
Harry and Meghan embarked on what was dubbed their ‘farewell tour’ of the UK, before their time as ‘senior royals’ came to an end on March 31.
Returning from Canada for a final round of engagements, the couple appeared cheerful during a busy few weeks as they prepared to part ways with the monarchy and the British public.
On March 5, Harry and Meghan attended the Endeavour Fund Awards in London where they emerged from a car and into the rain under an umbrella, resulting in one of the most iconic photos of the couple to date. It was Harry and Meghan’s first joint engagement since announcing their intention to step down as senior members of the royal family, with Meghan saying, “it’s very nice to be back”.
On March 7 came the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall, where Prince Harry wore his Royal Marines uniform possibly for the last time as he was forced to give up his military titles under the ‘Megxit’ agreement reached with the Queen.
Meghan made a surprise visit to Robert Clack Upper School in Dagenham to mark International Women’s Day and addressed a special assembly of 700 students. There, she was hugged by head boy Aker Okoye, who could barely contain his delight.
On March 9, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex carried out their final event with the royal family attending the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. They were joined by Her Majesty, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Earl and Countess of Wessex, in what was largely seen as a frosty reception from some members of the family.
At the end of March, Harry and Meghan officially closed their Sussex Royal Instagram account as they moved to Los Angeles and prepared for life as private citizens.
“While you may not see us here, the work continues,” their goodbye message read.
Financial freedom
One of the biggest motivations for leaving the royal family was money, with Harry and Meghan expressing their desire to be “financially independent”, allowing them to extend their philanthropic works.
In September, six months after ending their time as working members of the British royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex inked a deal with streaming giant Netflix, rumoured to be worth between $100m – $240m. The multiyear deal with Netflix will see Harry and Meghan become producers allowing them to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.
In December, Harry and Meghan signed a deal with Spotify, announcing an exclusive partnership with Archewell Audio, a new, audio-first production company founded by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The deal will allow the couple to grow their streaming and media footprint.
Going virtual
Like so many of us during the coronavirus pandemic, Harry and Meghan took their work online. Having bought a home in the exclusive Montecito area of Santa Barbara, just outside of Los Angeles, the duke and duchess carried out countless virtual meetings, discussions, interviews and the occasional podcast appearance.
Harry and Meghan received widespread criticism for appearing to call out the role of the Commonwealth during its colonial past, speaking in an online discussion for the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.
In late September, Prince Harry weighed into politics for the first time in his life. Addressing the first-ever televised broadcast of TIME magazine’s ‘Most Influential People’ list, the Duke of Sussex urged Americans to “reject hate speech” ahead of the November election in the US.
Prince Harry spoke about “unconscious bias” with Black Lives Matter advocate Patrick Hutchinson in a conversation hosted by GQ magazine. The royal admitted he “had no idea what it was” until now.
Volunteering in Los Angeles
Clad in face masks and wearing gloves, Harry and Meghan made the occasional appearance in person as the coronavirus pandemic spread across America.
In August, they were spotted in Los Angeles for charity Baby2Baby in a drive through distribution event at Knox Elementary in South LA, handing out school supplies, food, hygiene items to students and families.
To mark the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death of August 31, Prince Harry and Meghan planted the late princess’s favourite flowers, forget-me-nots, in the garden of a LA preschool.
Cutting ties with home
Now well and truly financially independent, Prince Harry and Meghan confirmed they had paid back, in full, the £2.4 million (AUD$4.5 million) of taxpayer money used to renovate Frogmore Cottage – their former home in Windsor.
They cemented their roots in the US with the purchase of their Californian mansion in July.
Sussexes rebranded
With Harry and Meghan’s new life as private citizens appearing to be going exactly as they had planned, they finally announced their newly-rebranded charitable endeavour Archewell, which would replace the Sussex Royal Foundation.
On October 21, the website for Archewell was officially launched.
They later announced Archewell’s first project – a partnership with World Central Kitchen to create four new relief service centres, allowing them to provide meals to people in disaster zones.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ended 2020 by releasing the first episode of their podcast on Spotify, called Archewell Audio, saying they hope it brings “warmth, a smile and something to think about” to listeners at the end of a difficult year.