The couple's departure followed what royal historian Hugo Vickers described as a 'half-in, half-out arrangement' proposal, where Harry would be self-financing but could still work for the royal family. In early 2020, three Private Secretaries—Sir Edward Young, Sir Clive Alderton, and Simon Case—drafted a proposal at Sandringham regarding Harry and Meghan's role. According to Vickers, Harry was told at Sandringham that it was 'either all in or all out' regarding his royal role, leading to his reluctant departure after being given this ultimatum. The exact terms of that ultimatum have not been publicly disclosed.
Following the Sandringham meeting, the Sussexes spent Christmas 2019 overseas because of the ultimatum. Vickers noted that Harry 'returned to Canada — reluctantly out' of the royal family after the summit. In their departure statement, Harry and Meghan said they had chosen to make a transition to carve out a progressive new role within the institution after months of reflection.
He wanted a half-in, half-out arrangement, whereby he would be self-financing but could still work for the royal family.
Harry and Meghan officially announced their departure from the royal family and started their new life in California with Prince Archie in June 2020. Their daughter, Princess Lilibet, was born in California in 2021. Queen Elizabeth II publicly responded to the departure, saying she would have preferred them to remain full-time working members but respected their wish for a more independent life. Privately, according to royal author Robert Hardman, the Queen was 'enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity, but she acted decisively.' Hardman reported that she kept calm and was practical after the decision, while some Palace officials were panicked.
The Queen's decisiveness at the Sandringham Summit involved determining that Harry would not be allowed a half-in, half-out role, though the specific actions she took have not been detailed. Despite giving the couple a cooling-off period, Hardman said she privately conceded that she didn't think they would change their minds because they took their dogs. The private reasons behind taking their dogs to the U.S. remain unknown. Hardman also noted that the Queen always adored Harry and had an instinctive sympathy for him as a spare to his older brother Prince William, and she felt the same sympathy towards her son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as both had less clearly defined roles than their firstborn siblings.
He returned to Canada — reluctantly out.
Since stepping down, Harry has only returned to the UK a handful of times, including for his grandmother's funeral. In 2023, after the release of Harry's memoir 'Spare', the couple were requested to vacate Frogmore Cottage. The departure has strained UK relations, with Harry and Meghan having made allegations of racism and lack of institutional support, though the specific details of these claims have not been fully disclosed. Why the Queen viewed their departure as a 'wasted opportunity' is also not explicitly known.
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.
It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
She was enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity, but she acted decisively.
Despite giving the couple a cooling-off period, [the Queen] privately conceded that she didn’t think they would change their minds because ‘they took the dogs’.