Meghan Markle’s Twists with the Royal Family: Timeline

It’s been a rocky road for me Meghan Markle and the British royal family since she fell in love with Prince Harry and the pair’s departure in 2020.

The Suits alum started getting close to the prince in the summer of 2016. While she was gushing about Harry to Vanity fair during its September 2017 cover story, the couple opened up about their relationship – and preparing Meghan for royal life – for the first time during their engagement interview in November 2017.

“I think I can safely say as naïve as it sounds now, having gone through this learning curve over the last year and a half I had no understanding of what it was just going to be like,” Meghan said at the time.

Harry replied, “I had tried to warn you as much as possible. … I think you can have as many conversations as you want, trying to prepare as much as possible but we were totally prepared for what happened after that.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex married in May 2018. Despite the alleged tension between the brothers about how quickly Harry and Meghan’s relationship movedthe pair joined Prince William a Princess Kate and launched the four charities together. In June 2019, the news came that the group’s effort had already been done and that the two couples were sharing their charities.

In October 2019, Harry and Meghan spoke to ITVs Tom Bradby and suggests that they are unhappy. Harry also confirmed reports of a rift between him and William.

“I’ve said for a long time to H, that’s what I call him (Harry), ‘It’s not enough to survive something. That’s not the point of life. You have to thrive. You have to feel happy,” Meghan said during the special, admitting she was “not well”.

She continued: “I really tried to adopt this British sense of ‘stiff upper lip.’ I really tried, but I think what that does internally is probably very damaging.”

Less than six months later, Harry and Meghan announced their plans to step back from their senior royal roles in January 2020. The pair then moved, first to Canada and then to Los Angeles. They eventually put down roots in Montecito, California.

One day left the queendeath in September 2022, King Charles III he shared his “love” for Harry and Meghan in his first speech as the new queen.

“I want to … express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives abroad,” he said in the address.

Scroll through for a complete timeline of the ups and downs: