Prince Philip reveals royal family financial struggles in 1969

Following their decision, the couple moved to California, where they live at the moment. Now, an anonymous source “who knows Harry well” has told Vanity Fair that the move was the Duke’s idea.

The royal insider said Meghan was “simply the catalyst” for the decision, and that Prince Harry “wanted a different way of life”.

Other royal experts have shone new light on a controversial aspect of the move – that the Royal Family was not consulted first.

At the time, the BBC’s royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said in a tweet: “BBC Understands that no other member of the Royal Family was consulted before Harry and Meghan issued their personal statement tonight, the Palace is understood to be ‘disappointed’.”

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However, Robert Lacey, a royal historian and author, has claimed the two royals had actually “put a great deal of thought into trying to create something that would work for both sides,” Vanity Fair reports.

He alleges these plans were ruined when the couple’s decision was leaked to the press.

Mr Lacey adds that Prince Harry wanted to consult senior royals including the Queen and his brother Prince William in person.

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The author added: “Reluctantly, he did put it in writing, it did leak, and that led to the Sussexes making the announcement.”

This week marks a year since Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step down as senior royals.

In an Instagram post announcing the move back on January 8 2020, the Sussexes said: “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.

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“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.

“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.”

Harry and Meghan currently remain in the US and are thought to reside in the Californian region of Santa Barbara.

Since making the move, the couple have pursued their goal of becoming financially independent with a number of high-profile deals.

This includes a production deal with video streaming service Netflix, for which the two are set to create documentaries and other content.

They have also begun releasing celebrity-studded podcasts as part of a deal with music streaming service Spotify.

Meanwhile, the couple announced just yesterday that they have quit social media and will no longer use platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

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