Why did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal family?

A review of security arrangements for the Duke of Sussex when he visits the UK is under way, BBC News understands.

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,moved to the US after stepping back from official royal duties in 2020.

Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.

Angry about media intrusion, they were frustrated that Buckingham Palace prevented them developing their "SussexRoyal" brand.

Harry remains a prince and is fifth in line to the throne.

The couple, who met in 2016 and married in 2018, kept their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, but are no longer addressed as His or Her Royal Highness (HRH). Harry also gave up his military titles.

When Harry's father became King, the couple's two children became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

Harry and Meghan moved to California in June 2020, saying they wanted space to raise Archie. Lilibet was born there in 2021.

The couple no longer have an official UK residence, after being asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property on the Windsor estate.

Prince Harry's US immigration status has consistently been challenged by conservative US think tank The Heritage Foundation, because of his previous comments about taking drugs including cocaine and marijuana.

Prince Harry has made a number of trips to the UK since moving to the US.

In September, he spent about 50 minutes with the King at Clarence House.

The duke also attended charity events, including the WellChild award ceremony for children with serious illness or disability.

Harry also returned to the UK several times for court cases about his security arrangements and action against newspaper publishers.

In August 2024, he attended a memorial service for his uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes.

In February 2024, he flew back for a 45-minute meeting with Charles after Buckingham Palace announced that the King had cancer.

Harry attended his father's coronation in May 2023 without Meghan.

The duke and duchess returned to the UK for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, and her funeral in September of that year.

The duke and duchess are no longer covered by the standard security arrangements for senior royals.

In May, Harry lost a legal case to have full police protection reinstated when visiting the UK.

He told BBC News that it was not safe to bring his family back to the country because he could not guarantee their safety.

Harry said he "would love a reconciliation" with his father and the rest of the Royal Family, but that the dispute over security had "always been the sticking point".

It is understood a Home Office review will now look at whether he should automatically receive full police protection, even though he is no longer a working member of the Royal Family.

As working royals, they received 95% of their annual income from Harry's father, then Prince of Wales. The taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant made up the other 5%.

When they stepped down as senior royals, King Charles gave them "a substantial sum" to help establish their new life.

Harry and Meghan set up the Archewell charitable foundation, and established commercial arrangements with private companies. In February 2024 the couple launched their Sussex.com website.

Rebranding the new brand

In March 2024, Meghan launched a new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

In February 2025, the Duchess announced the brand had been renamed "As Ever", with jam, tea, "cookie mixes", and flower sprinkles listed for sale.

Television

The Sussexes' media company, Archewell Productions, makes programmes for Netflix under a deal thought to be worth millions of dollars.

Their original arrangement was extended in August 2025 to give the streaming service a first option to secure future content.

The couple first featured in the Harry and Meghan documentary series, where they talked about life in the Royal Family.

The Heart of Invictus series followed and discussed the duke's emotional "unravelling" after military service in Afghanistan.

Polo was broadcast in December 2024.

With Love, Meghan - a lifestyle show, blending "practical how-tos and candid conversation" - began on 4 March 2025, with the second series following in August.

Podcasts

Archewell has also made podcasts for Spotify under a contract thought to be worth $25m (£19.7m).

This included a series called Archetypes, which featured the duchess in conversation with other well-known women.

A series with Lemonada Media, Confessions of a Female Founder, followed.

Books

Harry's memoir, Spare, was published in January 2023.

It discussed his relationship with his brother and father, as well as his grief over the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

The book's publishers promised $1.5m (£1.18m) and £300,000 respectively would be given to the Sentebale and WellChild charities.

Meghan wrote a children's book, called The Bench, in 2021.

Inheritance

William and Harry received the bulk of Princess Diana's £13m fortune when she died in 1997.

In a 2021 interview, Harry told Oprah Winfrey his share of the money funded his family's move to the US.

He is also thought to have inherited millions from his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.

It is not known whether Queen Elizabeth left him any money.

Acting

During her acting career, Meghan was reportedly paid $50,000 (£40,000) for each episode of the legal drama Suits.

She appeared in more than 100 episodes.

In January 2025, Prince Harry settled a case with News Group Newspapers (NGN), after it offered a "full and unequivocal apology" for "serious intrusion" into his private life between 1996 and 2011, and "incidents of unlawful activity" by private investigators.

It agreed to pay him an undisclosed amount of damages.

NGN, which owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times and published the News of the World before its 2011 closure, also apologised for serious intrusion into the private life of Prince Harry's late mother, Princess Diana.

Harry also settled a phone-hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers in February 2024.

His lawyer said the duke had been awarded "substantial" damages. He was also granted £140,600 in damages in another part of the case.

A separate court case over claims from the duke and others that the Daily Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers, unlawfully obtained information about them continues.