In the five years since their royal exit, Harry and Meghan have made three things clear

Five years ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their plans to step back from their roles as senior working royals in the British monarchy.

In a statement released on January 8, 2020, the pair explained they wanted to "carve out a progressive new role" in the royal family, become "financially independent", and split their time between the UK and US so they could find "the space to focus on the next chapter".

Instead, they were given leave to exit the monarchy and relocate to the US by the Queen only if they gave up many of their titles, patronages and royal status.

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It wasn't the outcome Harry and Meghan wanted but five years on, they seem to have made the most of it by focusing on the three things that mattered the most to them: their children, their charitable work, and their independence.

Decisions they've made since leaving the royal family has been in service of one or more of those three causes.

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World-shaking secret Harry, Meghan were keeping in this pic

'To become financially independent'

"We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."

From the get-go, Harry and Meghan were adamant that they wanted to become financially independent from the royal family (and, by extension, the British taxpayers).

Five years on, they are just that.

The couple no longer relies on the British monarchy for their income, instead making money through lucrative commercial deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify. The former is rumoured to have banked the couple between $100 million and $240 million.

Not only are they earning their own cash, they've also settled old debts.

In 2020, Harry and Meghan confirmed they had paid back the £2.4 million (approx. $4.5 million) of taxpayer money used to renovate Frogmore Cottage, their former home in the UK.

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The only cash injection they've recently received from the royals was a multi-million dollar inheritance left to Harry by his late great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.

She left an estimated £19m (approx. $37 million) in a trust for Prince William and Harry when she passed, with the brothers to share about £6m when they turned 21 and the other £8m once they reached 40.

As Harry marked his 40th birthday in September 2024, he was finally able to access the cash decades after the Queen Mother passed.

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'To honour our duty'

"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."

Harry and Meghan had hoped to continue their service to the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Commonwealth and their royal patronages after stepping back as senior royals. Sadly, that didn't come to pass.

Though the terms of their exit prevented them from carrying out royal duties in the Queen's name and saw them relinquish most of their patronages, the Sussexes have continued to "honour their duty" to charitable and humanitarian causes over the last five years.

They established their charitable foundation, Archewell, less than a year after their exit and have personally spearheaded and supported several important social causes as well.

Harry's focus has largely been on social media safety and mental health, as well as the Invictus Games, which he established long before he left the monarchy and has continued to build in the years since.

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Meanwhile, wife Meghan has championed women's issues and education, as well as political causes in the US, something she never would have been able to do while a senior working royal.

The couple also set out on two international 'tours' last year - first to Nigeria, then Colombia - to further their charitable and humanitarian work and they have hinted at big plans for the future.

'To raise our son'

"This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter."

Though they only had one child when they left the royal family, Harry and Meghan knew they wanted a different life for their children than what Harry had experienced growing up in the monarchy.

It's part of the reason they left in the first place, it's what inspired them to relocate to the US, and and in the five years since, the couple have only doubled down on their desire for privacy and normalcy for their offspring.

Now Archie is five and Lilibet is three and they have, for the most part, been able to grow up away from prying eyes and pressure to perform as part of the 'next generation' of the royal family.

"The kids are growing up like all kids do, very, very fast," Harry told Good Morning America in 2024.

"They've both got an incredible sense of humour and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do. I'm just grateful to be a dad."

Little is known about the siblings, photos of them are rare and only released with their parents' express permission, and that's exactly how Harry and Meghan like it.

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