Over five years after Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals, their relationship with the Royal Family still attracts scrutiny. They announced their decision in 2020 and expressed a desire to "work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support" the late Queen Elizabeth.
Their initial plan was to "balance [their] time between the United Kingdom and North America" and to continue "to honour [their[ duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and [their] patronages". This hasn’t come to pass, with the Sussexes living permanently in the US and no longer officially supporting the monarchy or Commonwealth.
It seems there’s no "half in, half out" of being a working royal - which doesn’t surprise biographer Sean Smith. Writing in Sophie: Saving the Royal Family, he suggests that this is a lesson was already learnt by Prince Edward and Sophie.
Reflecting upon the moment the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their revelatory statement, Sean writes, "Nobody suggested it, but Edward and Sophie had already shown many years before that it was impossible to be half in and half out of the Royal Family."
Prince Edward had been head of his own production company, Ardent Productions, whilst Sophie had put all her years of experience working in PR to good use, founding RJH Public Relations in 1996. Things weren’t entirely smooth-sailing, with both facing criticism and attracting comment on the balance of having separate businesses and being high-profile royals.
After what Sean alleged was the "fiasco" of Ardent and RJH, the couple had reportedly "been faced with a choice". Unlike Prince Harry and Meghan, the Edinburghs "decided to be fully in" from 2002.
This decision wasn’t an easy one, especially for Duchess Sophie, and in an interview with Harpers Bazaar in 2015 she admitted, "I did miss it very badly for a while". In his biography of the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sean also suggested that “part of Sophie had always missed that independence”.
However, whilst giving up her own business was hard, the senior royal has committed herself to using the skills she gained "without overburdening the organisations" she’s involved with. Having the late Queen Elizabeth as a role model also helped her to shape her approach to life as a full-time royal, replying that she learnt from her that "it doesn't matter how tired you are - carry on."
"In the early days, I used to rush around as quickly as I could, but when you observe the Queen, she does things in such a measured way, and I hope I've learnt to try not to bounce into the room, but do things in a slightly more elegant way," she added.
Her commitment to being “fully in” hasn’t gone unnoticed, with many considering her to be one of the most popular and dedicated royals. Sean believes she’s shown “that you could have a public face - and voice - as well as a private one in the Royal Family.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were keen for more privacy for themselves and their family when they stepped back. As Sean mentions, the lesson was there thanks to Edward and Sophie that it would be “impossible” for them not to walk away completely or continue as they were.
They might have hoped things would be different, but ultimately, as we know, they chose to forge ahead with their independent careers. Buckingham Palace’s statement in response to their announcement in January 2020 made this especially clear, explaining what this meant for them.
"While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty,” they declared. “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family."
