While the Sussexes announced their royal exit rather suddenly, apparently Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s “agenda” to be “international royals” was in place for ages. At least that’s according to Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent and resident Megxit expert, Katie Nicholl, who commented on their plans for Australian outlet, 9Honey, recently.
“The speed at which the Sussexes have turned their lives around has surprised everybody,” Nicholl explained on May 14. “I don’t think it’s a huge surprise they moved overseas—that was inevitable. I think the speed at which it’s happened has surprised people.” But Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, didn’t make their decision to step back from their roles as senior royals without any thought. Instead, Nicholl believes they planned for this for a long time.
Nicholl adds, “They had an agenda from the outset to be international royals. They didn’t want to just be stuck in one place. Part of their vision is to be making a difference on the world stage and that entails being international.” In hindsight, this makes sense after realizing all the places the Sussexes have visited or lived in outside of the U.K. since their marriage: Africa, Canada (hello, Meghan’s Vancouver Island fortress), and now California’s Los Angeles and Malibu areas.
This isn’t just Nicholl’s interpretation—according to the correspondent, she heard as much from friends in Meghan and Harry’s circle. “I was told from a very early stage in their courtship, they had told a friend of Harry’s that Meghan met quite early on that they wanted to be international roving royals and that was going to be their focus,” Nicholl said. “So I think this idea that they were going to move away and work overseas was always on the cards but as I say, the speed at which it’s happened has definitely been surprising.
“They’ve broken away from the royal family,” she concluded. “They’ve moved home twice—first to Canada then to California and all of this before Archie actually turned 1.” Who’s to say the Sussexes won’t continue their charitable efforts from around the world? We’re not opposed.