Prince Harry's relationship with the royal family has become increasingly fractured since he and the Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals in 2020.
At the time, the couple vowed to continue “regularly” visiting the UK, but after leaving almost four years ago, they have only returned from their new home in California a handful of times.
Meghan has not been in the country since the Queen's funeral in September 2020 and decided to skip King Charles' coronation in May last year.
She also skipped the Invictus Games 10th anniversary celebrations in the UK, which Prince Harry is currently attending, and will instead join him in a few days for the Nigerian events.
While it was hoped that King Charles' recent cancer diagnosis would go some way to mending fractured relationships – and this seemed to be the case when Harry flew out after learning of his illness – it now seems unlikely.
Since returning to the UK yesterday (May 7), the Duke of Sussex has suffered two apparent snubs from his family: his father claiming he is too busy to meet him on his current visit and today's news that Prince William is being appointed colonel-in-chief of Harry's former military regiment.
This is a timeline of how relations between the couple and the company have developed after what is better known as Megxit.
June 2020, The Departure
Following Harry and Meghan's announcement that they would be stepping down as senior royals in January 2020, they left the UK for California in June.
At the time, they cited reasons for leaving as press intrusion and a desire to be financially independent. They also believed they could give their son, Prince Archie, a more peaceful upbringing in America.
While they lost their HRH titles, they remained the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
March 2021, That interview with oprah
Harry and Meghan spoke in explicit detail about why they chose to leave the company nearly a year after their departure in a revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey.
They cited racism as a reason for leaving, revealing that an anonymous member of the royal family speculated about Prince Archie's skin color before he was born.
Meghan also revealed for the first time that she suffered from suicidal ideation while working for the royals and did not receive the support she needed to get better.
“I was very embarrassed to say it at the time, and I was embarrassed to have to admit it to Harry, especially because I know how much loss he has suffered. But I knew that if I didn't say it, he would, and I just didn't want to be alive anymore,” she said.
June 2022, the platinum jubilee
The couple kept a low profile at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, but their presence was seen as a step in the right direction as it was their first major event since stepping down in 2020.
It also gave the couple the opportunity to introduce their then one-year-old daughter Lilibet to their family, including the Queen, whom she had not met until then.
September 2022, the Queen's funeral and Meghan's last time on British soil
The couple returned to the UK at the end of 2022 for further engagements in the UK and this ended up coinciding with the Queen's death. After her death, she decided to stay in the country until after her state funeral.
Meghan previously spoke about the Queen's great respect for Oprah.
“The Queen has always been wonderful to me,” he said. “I really loved being in her company…she has always been warm, welcoming and really welcoming.”
January 2023, Replacement
Prince Harry spoke more about his life in the royal family in his memoir. Replacementwhich details his life growing up in his brother's shadow, the death of his mother, and his eventual time in the military.
He also talked about his relationship with Meghan and his final decision to leave royal life behind.
Harry wrote with the help of a ghostwriter: “The Heir and the Spare: There was no judgment about it, but no ambiguity either. I was the shadow, the support, Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy.
“I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare. Kidney, maybe. Blood transfusion, Speck of bone marrow. “All this was made explicitly clear to me from the beginning of life’s journey.”
June 2023, The loss of Frogmore Cottage.
In June last year, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry and Meghan had left Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate, which the Queen had gifted to the couple.
They were asked to leave and their departure left them without an address in the UK.
The house was initially renovated at a cost of £2.4 million to the taxpayer, but the couple returned this sum after opting to leave their previous roles as royals in 2020.
Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said: “We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have left Frogmore Cottage.
“We will not go into any details about those agreements here.
“It is safe to say that, as previously stated, the Duke and Duchess have repaid the costs incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a much-improved asset.”
Following the loss of the cottage last June, Harry changed his usual place of residence from the United Kingdom to the United States for the first time.
December 2023, another racial dispute
The issue of alleged racism within the royal family arose again in December last year when an author favored by the Sussexes appeared to reveal the name of the family member who speculated about the color of Archie's skin.
Omid Scobie later claimed that he had no idea about the Dutch translation of his book. game over It would appear to name King Charles and the Princess of Wales responsible for the comments.
February 2024, The King's cancer diagnosis
While the relationship between the Sussexes and their wider family seemed bleak for some time, renewed hope for a true reconciliation came earlier this year when King Charles announced he had cancer.
Harry said Good morning america at that moment: “I believe that any illness, any illness, brings families together.”
After learning of his father's illness, Harry immediately traveled to the United Kingdom and the couple spent 45 minutes together.
“The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go see him and spend time with him, I'm grateful for that,” Harry admitted.
May 2024, The slights
Despite returning to the UK this week for an event of great personal importance, the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which Harry founded in 2014, Harry will not be accompanied at the thanksgiving ceremony by any member of his immediate family, has been confirmed. .
While it was expected that he would be unlikely to see Prince William and Kate Middleton, who is also battling cancer, many believed Harry would see the King on the trip, who just last week returned to work after making enough progress. in his own cancer. journey.
But yesterday it emerged that the King simply has too many commitments to see his youngest son, despite the Palace announcing it was embarking on a reduced summer schedule to avoid overexertion.
This turn of events reflects the view of former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole, who stated before this week's trip that a true reconciliation was unlikely in the near future.
“After so much bad blood, it is very difficult to see any kind of reconciliation between the Sussexes and the Royal Family. [this] week – or for the foreseeable future,” he admitted.
