ROYALSPrince Harry Reveals He Offered To Relinquish His & Meghan Markle's Sussex Titles For New Life In Canada
Seeing what life was like away from the British tabloids and monarchy opened Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's eyes to what their life could be like without it all— and the royal was willing to do whatever it took to make their temporary paradise a reality.
In the fifth episode of Harry & Meghan, the Duke of Sussex revealed he was willing to strip himself of his royal title if it meant freedom for the couple. The 38-year-old made the shocking offering in a letter to King Charles III after their move to Canada.
Recalling how Harry and Meghan came to their bombshell decision to step back from their senior royal duties in January 2020, Harry said they first left England to get away from the nasty tabloids reporting on his wife's leaked 2018 letter to her estranged dad, Thomas Markle, and in turn, the lawsuit she filed against a publication that printed the pages.
The couple temporarily moved to Vancouver Island, Canada, in December 2019, missing Christmas that year with Queen Elizabeth II.
PRINCE HARRY & MEGHAN MARKLE DECLARE WAR ON BUCKINGHAM PALACE IN MOST SHOCKING NETFLIX TRAILER YET
"It was a really good opportunity for us to get away, you know, with Archie, just to clear our heads," Harry explained, referring to their now-3-year-old son. The royal couple also shares daughter Lilibet, 1.
"I just loved being there. It was just so peaceful," added Meghan, while Harry gushed of their escape: "You could breathe for a minute. It was absolutely amazing because the main thing that we needed was some space. Some space to think and just work out what on Earth we're doing."
Despite relishing in the ability to live a normal life with their young son away from the drama of reality, papparazzi eventually found where they were staying.
Harry recalled how the paps closing in on them in Canada quickly took a toll on his, and especially Meghan's, mental health, pointing out that they initially chose Vancouver Island because, "It's an island," and there were no paparazzi lurking around.
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As the couple questioned how they were going to change their "relationship with the institution" in a way that protected them, their "mental health" and "wellbeing," Harry revealed he got on the phone with his dad to share the plan they came up with.
"'We've got a plan,'" he recalled telling Charles around the end of December 2020 and start of January. Harry and Meghan decided they wanted to move to Canada, as they would be able to do work in honor of Her Majesty without having the British tabloids covering their lives.
Harry explained they previously discussed the possibility of moving to New Zealand back in 2018 and later South Africa, where they would support charities and organizations.
"And the palace signed off on us moving to South Africa, so my father's office knew about, my brother's office knew about it, and my grandmother's office knew about it," he said, referring to Prince William. "No one else knew. It was very much an internal document. Then it was leaked."
Trying to learn his lesson from last time, when on the phone with Charles, Harry refused his father's request to put his plan to work in Canada in writing. However, Harry gave in after His Majesty said he couldn't "do anything" unless it was in writing, as his son recalled.
"So I put it in writing. Sent him emails on the first, second, and third of January," he shared, "And in one of those, I'd mentioned that if this wasn't gonna work out then we would be willing to relinquish our Sussex titles, if need be."
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"That was the plan," Harry said, with his wife echoing his claim.
Harry and Meghan's titles have been a point of contention ever since they stepped back from their duties in March 2021, with many now calling for the King to strip them of the Sussex name following the release of Harry & Meghan. The couple now resides in Montecito, Calif., with their two young children.
