It’s been a full week since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they’re stepping down as senior members of the royal family. Slowly but surely, details surrounding their decision have been trickling out—including, now, the moment they knew they wanted to shake things up.
A palace source who spoke to People says baby Archie’s birth is when everything changed. That was May 2019, in case you forgot, and by then the Sussexes “knew they were going to hit the nuclear button,” says this source.
Adds a friend of Markle and Prince Harry’s, “When Meghan came around and she was interested in making changes, [Harry] welcomed it.” A second friend tells the publication that when Archie was born, the pair’s focus shifted even more to “doing what’s right for their family.”
In case you’re not caught up on the details, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry issued a statement last week that said they would be taking a step back from the royal family in an attempt to establish financial independence. “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,” they wrote.
Multiple reports have circulated about how other senior members of the royal family feel about this decision. The only definitive thing we know is that Queen Elizabeth II is seemingly on board—at least from the statement she released to the public.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” she said. “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
