The warning signs had been there for some time, but when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
confirmed that they intended to step down as senior members of the British royals, it
still came as a huge shock.
These are the biggest unanswered questions about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving
the royal family.
Markle had already carved out a career as an actor when she met her future husband.
"What's the first role you ever auditioned for?"
"Hot Girl #1 in A Lot Like Love with Ashton Kutcher."
"Did you get it?"
"Yes."
But will the former Suits star return to her roots now that she's no longer a working royal?
It certainly seems likely.
In fact, it appears as though she may have been plotting a return to Hollywood for some
time.
In July 2019, the Sussexes attended the European premiere of The Lion King, and Prince Harry
was overheard putting in a good word about Markle's voiceover work with Disney CEO Bob
Iger.
According to The Sun, Iger called it a "great idea."
Negotiations apparently took place over the next six months, because in January 2020,
it was revealed that Markle had signed a voiceover deal with Disney.
All that's known about the project at the moment is that Markle had Disney donate to
the conservation charity, Elephants Without Borders, in lieu of payment.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the president of ABC Entertainment also said,
"We have an office waiting for them in the animation studios building should they be
looking to produce television."
The cost of keeping Prince Harry and Markle safe became a hot topic when they announced
that they wanted to kind-of move to Canada.
The couple's security was originally covered by the UK taxpayer, and the idea that the
British people would continue to pay for former senior royals who live on the other side of
the Atlantic seemed illogical.
But Canadians clearly weren't thrilled about potentially covering the costs.
According to Fox News, a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute found that 73
percent of the people they polled wanted the Sussexes to cough up 100 percent of their
own expenses, should they move to Canada.
According to BBC News, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed there were "discussions"
to be had about Harry and Meghan's security costs, but Canada and the UK appeared to initially
be splitting the bill.
With Markle reportedly being watched over by her British police bodyguard and a Mountie
emerging from Canada, an insider told the Daily Mail,
"This is likely to be the arrangement for the Sussexes going forward until the deal
over who pays is thrashed out."
"It's, um, yeah, it's been complicated."
Prince Harry and Markle said that they wanted to "step back" in their landmark statement,
but didn't make any mention of their titles.
The official response from Buckingham Palace stated,
"[The Sussexes] will not use their [His and Her Royal Highness] titles as they are no
longer working members of the royal family."
It was later confirmed that they would continue to be addressed as the Duke and Duchess of
Sussex.
But when the Palace revealed that the couple would go by Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan,
Duchess of Sussex, royal commentators were quick to point out that this formatting has
some very negative connotations.
In the past, this styling was reserved for women who have divorced from the royal family.
Harry's mother became Diana, Princess of Wales after her split from Prince Charles, and Sarah
Ferguson became Sarah, Duchess of York when she separated from Prince Andrew.
The Palace said the new titles had been given "erroneously" in a statement to Sky News,
and the titles are now expected to be revised.
Another big question relates to Prince Harry and Markle's son.
Archie was born in London and people assumed he would be educated in England like his father,
but when the Duke and Duchess announced that the family would come and go, Archie's future
became a little more complicated.
Will their first-born go to school in Britain, or will he end up getting his education in
Canada?
According to the Daily Mail, the Sussexes may opt to use the American Community School
as a compromise.
They've made it clear that they want Archie to grow up as a "global citizen," and this
$32,000 a year institution just so happens to align with their values.
The trouble is, if Archie enrolls at a school, whether it be in England or in Canada, he
won't be able to travel during term time.
This could potentially hinder the freedom of movement sought by the Sussexes, whose
best option could be to homeschool their son.
The fact that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose to step down from their senior roles
not long after the British taxpayer covered the cost of an overhaul to Frogmore Cottage
rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way.
Around $3 million was spent on the refurbishment, which wasn't mentioned in the Sussexes' statement
of intent.
The Palace must have known that this would be likely cause unrest, because it made sure
to address the Frogmore money in its own statement, saying,
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their wish to repay Sovereign Grant expenditure
for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home."
But putting this into practice might be harder than you'd think.
According to the Daily Mail, Palace officials have been left "baffled" by the idea of Harry
and Meghan repaying the money spent fitting out Frogmore.
At the moment, there's no official word on how and when the money will go back to the
public.
Question marks also remain over rent, officials have suggested that the Sussexes might have
to pay a commercial rate for Frogmore, which could be as high as $40,000 a month.
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