It is almost exactly four years since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made the dramatic announcement that they were quitting as working royals but it seems years earlier, Harry admitted he contemplated leaving to have an ‘ordinary life’

It is more than four years that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the world reeling when they sensationally announced they were quitting their royal roles.

Barely two years after their fairytale royal wedding in 2018, the couple left the UK to set up new lives in California and sign big money deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify. The shock announcement appeared to come out of the blue – but later, Harry’s long-held frustration at royal life was laid bare in his controversial memoir Spare. And it seems he publicly hinted all might not have been well with his royal role at least three years before so-called Megxit happened.

In an interview seven years ago in 2017, the Duke of Sussex admitted he had once “wanted out” of the Firm and just desired an “ordinary life”. In a chat, later reported in the Mail On Sunday, Harry, then 32, told of his struggles but said he ultimately decided to stick it out thanks to one relative. He reportedly admitted: “I spent many years kicking my heels and I didn’t want to grow up.

“I felt I wanted out but then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself,” he added, revealing he was motivated by his loyalty to his late grandmother the Queen. In the same interview, just a year after he met Meghan, Harry also told of his future wishes for him and his children. He insisted: “I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children they can have one too.”

Meanwhile, it appears 2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal one for Harry and Meghan in terms of what lies ahead for their careers. However, according to royal expert Tessa Dunlop, the couple was able to retain ‘talk-ability’ in 2023 – and it could be their ‘high-risk’ strategy that sees them well into the New Year.

She explained: “Despite all the rumours, their marriage appears solid, and they remain one of the few global brands that can knock wars and international disasters off the front pages. The question for 2024 is whether they can convert that clickbait appeal into something more durable.

“A lot of the media storms the Sussexes generated this year have been hangovers from the ‘truth bombs’ detonated in the wake of their departure from the royal family in 2020 (including the race- storm triggered by Endgame). Beyond the Invictus Games and accompanying Netflix series, Archewell Productions has been conspicuous by its absence.

“What comes next really matters, presumably that’s why they are taking their time. While a reconciliation with the Royal Family looks unlikely in the near future, further attacks on the monarchy would be a mistake, with the couple insisting they’re looking to the future. There’s talk of a ‘total system reboot’ and Meghan has promised ‘exciting things on the slate’.

“We know Archewell Productions is adapting the novel Meet Me at the Lake for television (the romantic storyline, which includes a fatal car crash, leans into the Sussexes’ personal brand) while all eyes are on where and when Meghan will launch a much-predicted business venture akin to her old lifestyle blog Tig. The couple appears to thrive on a high-risk strategy, but with so many people willing them to fail, they cannot afford to further squander their brand in 2024. The world is watching.”