But not everyone was ready for this change.
Here’s how their final days as senior royals unrolled.
To show their gratitude to their staffers, the couple threw a luncheon.
Days later, Markle and Harry attended the Commonwealth Day service their final royal engagement.
While patronages are often inherited, most are chosen by the royals themselves according to their personal interests.
Meghan Markle also acquired several patronages during her short tenure with the royal family.
Their break from the family, however, meant losing these patronages.
But it did not mean the end of their philanthropic activities.
And they weren’t about to lose momentum.
But this didn’t mean a complete break from the royal family or royal responsibilities.
Even as he was leaving, Prince Harry had plans to return to England for some ongoing obligations.
Meghan Markle did not join him for either.
Prince Harry also attended the coronation of his father, King Charles III, in May 2023.
Once again, he went solo.
The moment the event wrapped up, Harry got in a car and headed to the airport.
As far as Markle was concerned, this signaled the end of her royal obligations.
He stayed behind in London to attend a series of private meetings about his future work in the country.
‘sroyal correspondent Danielle Stacey, this was to keep it neat and tidy on the accounting side of things.
“31 March marks the end of the financial year for the royal family,” Stacey explained.
But at some level, the queen understood where they were coming from.
Early in her marriage to Prince Philip, they moved to Malta during his military service.
There, she was treated as just a military wife, without royal expectations.
This taste of freedom helped her return home ready to shoulder her royal responsibilities.
The couple seemed on board with the idea too, but it was not to be.
So they started doing so while still on the royal payroll.
There, she saw how the studio uses virtual reality and other new technologies to create more compelling media.
This visit was only documented after the fact on the official Instagram account she shared with Prince Harry.
As theExpressnoted, he also fidgeted with his ring, exhibited closed-off body language, and blinked a lot.
There were at least some moments of levity that day.
Instead, they were instructed to seat themselves before the royal party entered.
Evidently, William sensed his brother was hurt.
The chasm was hard to ignore.
