Prince Harry and Meghan Markle begin plotting to leave the royal family much sooner than we thought.

In retrospect, at least publicly, there began to be a sense of unease between the Sussexes and the royal family around the time of their visit to South Africa in September 2019. Just four months later, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle famously took a step back as active royals, and it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride ever since.

However, longtime royal biographer Andrew Morton recently told Pod Save the Queen that the couple planned their exit from royal life much earlier than we thought, just six months after the May 2018 royal wedding The Mirror reported.

"Harry had a conversation with Oprah Winfrey in a London hotel in November 2018, just six months after the marriage," Morton says." In other words, they were thinking in a different direction from very early on."

Morton is cynical because while Prince William and Kate Middleton were being made to run the UK, Harry and Meghan seemed to be positioned to be global royalty and ambassadors to the world. position, he says.

"Ironically, when Prince Harry was given the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador position, they were given the keys to the first class lounge," Morton says.

"When Prince Harry was appointed Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, they were given the keys to the first class lounge," Morton says. 'This was effectively the Queen saying, 'You are in charge of the rest of the world; William and Catherine, you are in charge of the United Kingdom.'

In the same interview, Morton said that Harry saw his marriage to Meghan as a way out of the royal family.

"They were thinking of living in New Zealand and even talked to the New Zealand prime minister about it," he says. 'They even talked to the prime minister of New Zealand about it. When it actually happens, Prince Harry is cursed with charisma, but he hates being a prince. They didn't have to leave the royal family in that way, but they did."

He also added that the queen herself, while living in Malta with her husband Prince Philip, away from the daily grind of royal life, would have understood if the Sussexes had wished to take a break rather than leave completely.

"The queen has always been very understanding of people who want to step aside for a few years and enjoy family life," Morton said. Says Morton, "Because you spend so much time being royalty."