The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s 12-month review of their post-royal life is looming, as the anniversary of their so-called declaration of independence takes place this month.The couple were dealt a “hard Megxit” this time last year. This means the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William decided the majority of their ties to the Royal Family had to be cut if they wanted to step down as working royals — the Sussexes’ hopes of having a “half-in and half-out” scenario were dashed.
Meghan and Harry were also accused of jumping the gun when it came to outlining their own future on the outskirts of the Royal Family.
When they announced their imminent departure, they also launched a new website called Sussex Royal explaining their vision for their “progressive new roles”.
This new blueprint included the claim that Meghan and Harry would maintain access to armed security organised by the Metropolitan Police.
The Duke and Duchess claimed they were entitled to this because they were still classified as “internationally protected people”.
This term refers to either Heads of State or their representatives — and Meghan and Harry were technically covered by this term when they were working royals.
Yet, shortly after the website’s launch, the Palace quickly reminded the public that no concrete details had been agreed upon.
The Queen ushered the senior royals together for the Sandringham Summit to discuss the Sussexes’ new life — and soon made sure the rebellious couple corrected their statement on their website, sussexroyal.com.
After the negotiations had concluded, journalist Victoria Ward noted: “The incorrect reference to ‘international protected people’ was removed from the site quite swiftly.”
Writing in The Telegraph, she also pointed out that “Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on security arrangements”.
The issue of their security continued to dominate headlines for months after Megxit.
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Their spokesperson said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the US government for security resources.
“Privately funded security arrangements have been made.”
The Palace has refused to comment on further details, while the Sussexes’ now defunct website, Sussex Royal, explained: “It is agreed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son.
“This is based on the Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into the Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’ own independent profile and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years.
“No further details can be shared as this is classified information for safety reasons.”
Some critics speculated that the allowance provided to the couple after their official exit by Prince Charles — through the Duchy of Cornwall — was being used to fund the extravagant cost of the Sussexes’ security.
Through their new platform Archewell, the couple have secured two incredibly lucrative deals with both Netflix and Spotify, which means it’s likely they now pay for their own security.
However, as the Megxit review looms, it’s not clear if the Sussexes will restate their case for being “quasi-royals” once more — thus opening up the possibility of becoming “internationally protected people”.
