This Is What Prince Harry Is Banned From Doing Since He’s Stepped Down

The royal family was hit by scandal when Prince Harry announced that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, would both be stepping down as senior royals. The couple also reportedly revealed that they wanted a more private life with their baby son Archie, basing themselves between the United Kingdom and Canada. So, remaining in the spotlight as royals wasn’t an option. And although Harry seems determined to make the new arrangements work, his decision has apparently cost him a lot of privileges.

A big exit

Their exit wasn’t a total surprise, though. Yes, despite only being a royal couple for around 18 months before this announcement, Harry and Meghan had already indicated that they weren’t entirely happy with the way the British press apparently treated them. In a much-publicized ITV interview with journalist Tom Bradby in October 2019, for instance, Meghan said, “When I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy. But my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great. But you shouldn’t do it, because the British tabloids will destroy your life.’”

Stiff upper lip

And she went on, “I have said for a long time to H – that’s what I call him – it’s not enough to just survive something, right? That’s not the point of life. You’ve got to thrive, you’ve got to feel happy. I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I really tried. But I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”

A demanding job

Harry had plenty to say about their situation, too. He told Bradby, “Part of this job... means putting on a brave face and turning a cheek to a lot of this stuff. But again, for me and for my wife, of course there’s a lot of stuff that hurts, especially when the majority of it’s untrue.”

Media scrutiny

And seemingly, the pressure that the media were putting on the couple ultimately proved too much. On January 8, 2020, the pair took to Instagram to release a message that deeply shocked the world. The statement – direct from the duke and duchess themselves – read, “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution [the royal family].”