Meghan Markle and Prince Harry: Key events that shaped their relationship and royal departure
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have launched another scathing attack on the press after a photographer was allegedly spotted outside their children's school. This is how they came to step down as working Royals, and ultimately chose to return to the UK after six years in California.
Police are investigating after two men were reportedly spotted at the UK school the royal couple's children Archie and Lilibet attend. One of the men was identified as an international photographer.
Harry and Meghan's spokesperson said: "The decision by photographers to conduct themselves in this way around a school is extraordinarily reckless."
It's the latest in a long series of run-ins with the press which has defined the couple's relationship from the start, resulting in multiple lawsuits.
Advert
Their decision in 2020 to step down as working Royals, and subsequent allegations of racism against their family members, resulted in one of the most turbulent periods the Royal Family has endured in recent years.
Here is how we got here, from Harry and Meghan's first date to their decision to return from the US one year after Harry said he 'couldn't see a world' where his wife and children would be safe in the UK.
July 2016
Meghan and Harry are set up on a blind date by a mutual friend.
November 2016
Harry confirms Meghan is his girlfriend and condemns the media for subjecting her ‘to a wave of abuse and harassment’.
A statement from his communications secretary reads: “Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.
“Some of it has been hidden from the public - the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.”
November 2017
The couple announce their engagement.
May 2018
Meghan and Harry tie the knot at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
2019
Prince Harry launches legal action against News Group Newspapers and Mirror Group Newspapers over alleged phone hacking and the unlawful interception of his voicemails.
May 2019
Prince Archie is born on 6 May at the Portland Hospital in London.
January 2020
Meghan and Harry announce plans to ‘step back’ as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and ‘work to become financially independent’.
In a statement, they said: “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.”
February 2020
The committee responsible for royal security decides Harry will no longer receive the same level of taxpayer-funded protection he had as a working royal. He later launches legal action against the UK government, challenging the decision.
March 2020
The Sussexes move to the US, settling in Meghan’s native California.
February 2021
Meghan wins an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers (publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday) following the publication of her 2018 letter to her estranged father Thomas Markle.
March 2021
During a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan says she experienced suicidal thoughts while pregnant with Archie. The couple also allege there had been ‘concerns and conversations’ within the Royal Family about ‘how dark’ their son’s skin might be.
The Palace later responds: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
June 2021
Princess Lilibet is born at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California.
June 2022
The couple attend Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations but do not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the rest of the Royal Family.
September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II dies aged 96. Meghan and Harry travel to the UK for the funeral and burial ceremonies.
January 2023
Harry’s memoir, Spare, is published. It contains some bombshell claims against his family, including an alleged altercation with Prince William and ‘tensions’ between Meghan and Kate Middleton, as well as revelations about his past drug use and losing his virginity.
May 2023
Harry attends his father King Charles’ coronation while Meghan stays in California with their children. He's seen sitting two rows behind William in Westminster Abbey and is not invited onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Harry leaves the country just hours later.
June 2023
Harry testifies in his case against Mirror Group Newspapers, making him the first senior British royal to give evidence in court in more than 130 years.
December 2023
A three-day court hearing begins over Harry’s legal challenge to his UK security arrangements. His lawyers argue that the decision to downgrade his protection after he stopped being a ‘working royal’ was ‘unlawful and unfair’.
Later this month, Harry wins part of his case against Mirror Group Newspapers, with a judge awarding him £140,600 in damages.
February 2024
At the start of the month, Harry makes a brief trip to the UK following King Charles’ cancer announcement.
The High Court dismisses his challenge over his UK security arrangements. Harry says he will appeal the decision.
January 2025
News Group Newspapers (publisher of The Sun) settles Harry’s lawsuit, offering him a ‘full and unequivocal apology’ for the ‘serious intrusion’ into his private life between 1996 and 2011, including ‘incidents of unlawful activity’ carried out by private investigators. It agrees to pay ‘substantial damages’.
May 2025
Three Court of Appeal judges reject Harry’s appeal over his UK security, ruling that the decision to provide him with case-by-case protection was ‘lawful and rational‘.
Harry tells the BBC he ‘would love a reconciliation’ with his family and that there was ‘no point in continuing to fight anymore’ because ‘life is precious’. Though he claims that his father ‘won't speak to me because of this security stuff’.
Harry says he’s ‘devastated’ he lost his legal case for security in the UK, adding: “I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
September 2025
Harry joins King Charles for a private tea at Clarence House in London, their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months.
July 2026
Meghan, Harry and their two children meet with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House.
August 2026
Meghan and Harry plan to relocate back to the UK, with their children enrolled to start at school in September.
Topics: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Royal Family, UK News
Lauren Wilkins