Prince Harry and Meghan Markle felt 'alone' and 'displaced' during US move
Watch: One year on: Prince Harry and Meghan step down
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle felt “lonely and displaced” as they moved between homes during the coronavirus pandemic after stepping back from their roles as senior royals, according to two authors.
Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who wrote Finding Freedom, the biography of Harry and Meghan, said the couple struggled with their multiple moves in 2020.
Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, decided they wanted to step back from their roles while they were staying in Canada at the end of 2019.
They lived there after finishing their last royal duty in March 2020, but had to get to the US before the border between the two countries closed to stop the spread of coronavirus.
It meant the couple spent time living in Tyler Perry’s mansion before they could buy their own home, which they have now done, in Santa Barbara, California, and so they clocked up four moves in a few months.
Writing in Grazia, the authors said one of Meghan’s friends told them: “It’s just been a lot.
“Their nanny moved back to the UK when they moved to LA because of the pandemic and restrictions left them feeling quite alone. Each move made them feel more displaced.”
Read more: How the world has changed since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step back
There has been speculation recently over whether or not Harry and Meghan will return to the UK in the summer, when the Queen hopes to host a Trooping the Colour parade, the annual celebration of her official birthday.
While Harry at least is due to be in London on 1 July, for the unveiling of his mother’s statue at Kensington Palace, the couple has not publicly committed to any other dates.
A source told The Telegraph: “It's a little presumptuous for any of us to be speculating about whether we can travel anywhere this summer.”
Since they stepped back from the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan have launched their own podcast on Spotify and announced plans to make documentaries, children’s programming and scripted series with Netflix, helping them to achieve financial independence.
They are due to review the deal they struck with Buckingham Palace in March. The main outstanding issue is thought to be Harry’s honourary military titles which he was stripped of in 2020.
However the titles were not given to any other family member, and it’s not thought an announcement on the future of them will be given immediately.
According to the Finding Freedom authors, Harry being denied the opportunity to have a personal wreath laid at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday hurt as much as having the positions taken away.
Read more: How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are choosing to speak for themselves
Despite that, Scobie said he did not think the couple would be looking to make any changes in their arrangements with the palace.
He said: “While the door was left open by the Queen, Harry and Meghan have carved out an impressive start to what will be their new family legacy. When their roles came to an end they started from scratch, and in just nine months since then they have navigated a pandemic and set up their non-profit [organisation]. This is only the start.”
Last week as the couple approached the one year mark since they made their statement about stepping back, a source told PA they were in a good place.
The source said: “After a very turbulent 12 months for everyone in the world and massive changes of moving country and all the rest of it, they have also been very vocal about what they have gone through in their own personal life.
“They have a house. They have created the financial independence that they were after.
“They have launched their organisation and their organisation is under way doing amazing things already.
“And so I think that they are in a very good place.”
Watch: Harry and Meghan in a ‘very good place’ one year after shock Megxit statement
