When agreements were finally signed for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to leave their royal roles, less than two years after their fairytale wedding that captivated the nation, tension and sorrow were felt in equal measure.

Anguish and anger consumed both sides after ultimately failing to agree on a model that worked for all parties, while Harry and Meghan sought a life outside the confines of the institution they felt was holding them back. Unhappy at playing second fiddle in a hierarchical system in existence for more than 1,000 years, the Duke and Duchess decided to strike out on their own

The Sussexes signed eye watering deals with streaming giants Netflix and Spotify ( 
Image:
Anadolu via Getty Images)

Under the premise they would no longer take public money to fund their lifestyle, the couple believed their “star power” would be enough for them to thrive outside the confines of the palace walls and into the arms of the Hollywood elite.

This, for a time, was arguably the case.

The Sussexes signed eye watering deals with streaming giants Netflix and Spotify, Meghan wrote a children’s book, Harry a punchy memoir, earning them an absolute fortune in the process. Their early successes were no doubt, love em or loath em, a result of the magnetism of the couple and the incredible interest as to what they would do next.

Even those most critical of their decision and their handling of the situation could not have foreseen the fire and fury unleashed in The Firm’s direction, taking a wrecking ball to any kind of future relationship with the family. But if that wasn’t bad enough, what has become apparent after five years of this process, is both Meghan and Harry still rely heavily on the royal connection they fought so heavily to rid themselves of.

Harry and Meghan may then find the royal connection they so desperately want to preserve is their undoing in the court of public opinion ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Whether Harry is considering penning a follow up to his explosive memoir, or fighting his father’s government in court for taxpayer funded security, it runs deep. Meghan too finds herself accused of trading on the titles they were explicitly warned against doing, in order to market her latest commercial ventures.

Meghan’s representatives have suggested the couple do not use the HRH publicly, even though their titles remain.

To begrudge Harry and Meghan the opportunity to build a life for themselves is worthless and unfair. The decisions they made were for the benefit of them as a family and a future beyond the one they saw in front of them.

However, the couple’s claims that “service is universal” and constant talk of authenticity, has worn thin when they won’t cease to exploit the very institution they left behind. Fortunately for them, the King has no time to get involved in such matters as he seeks to build his own legacy, mindful as a man in his mid-seventies and still battling cancer has said himself, with “the remaining time God grants me”.

So too, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ drive to combine duty with a balanced life for their young children, is matched with an unwillingness to revisit a time that tested the monarchy to its foundations.

Harry and Meghan may then find the royal connection they so desperately want to preserve is their undoing in the court of public opinion.