From the very first moment the world learned of the relationship between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the couple have been under the spotlight.

Starting from their glamorous wedding which was broadcast and seen by more than 29.19 million viewers, to the birth of their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019, to stepping down from their royal duties, the Sussex Royals’ every move has been closely followed by the media. That same media which “forced” them to leave the U.K. and move to the States.

When they announced their decision to step down from their royal duties, the spokesperson of Harry and Meghan said in a statement: “As evidenced by their work over the past year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role.”

However, Queen Elizabeth herself had “written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the Royal Family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” the announcement by the palace said. It added: “While all are saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”

U.K. media, as well as many influential international magazines, have slammed their decision to split from the royal family, but both Harry and Meghan believed it was the best thing to do when it came to their family. During the Oprah interview that caused a stir on the social media, Harry once again defended their decision to move from Britain because he didn’t want “history repeating itself,” referring to his late mother.

According to Meghan, before the split with the Firm, she and Harry allegedly asked for a permission to move to another country in the Commonwealth, perhaps South Africa or Canada. However, the answer was a resounding no.

“Anything to just … because just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy. So we go, ‘Okay, fine, let’s get out of here. Happy to,’” Meghan recalled during a recent interview with The Cut.

Saying that other Royal Family members had gotten the green light for the same arrangement, she added,“That, for whatever reason, is not something that we were allowed to do, even though several other members of the family do that exact thing.”

Recently, it has been revealed that the Sussexes weren’t in fact planning of leaving Britain permanently. Their initial plan was to take a year off from their duties so that Meghan could take a break from the pressure by the British tabloids and Harry could be given the opportunity to pursue his love for Africa.

“Soon after the Queen and Prince Philip married, they’d lived in Malta, while William and Kate started married life in Anglesey,” author Valentine Low writes in Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown.

“Harry and Meghan could also go away for a while, said Manning. A year in South Africa seemed the obvious choice. A paper was written outlining the options, and the couple were said to like the idea of a year in Africa.”

“Manning also looked to other royal couples and how they spent their time before royal life completely took over,” The Mirror reports.

“Money and security were probably the two big problems that scuppered it,” Low added.

“It ran into the sand. ‘The problems were real, and there was not a willingness to find the resources.’”

Harry and Meghan told Oprah, during the infamous all-tell interview, they wanted to continue representing the Queen as non-senior-royals and relocate to another country within the Commonwealth and that is why they lived in Canada shortly before moving to the States.

“We were saying, ‘okay, if this isn’t working for everyone, we’re in a lot of pain, you can’t provide us with the help we need, we can just take a step back. We can do it in a Commonwealth country, we suggested New Zealand, South Africa,” Meghan said in the interview.

Royal expert Andrew Morton, author of Diana: Her True Story, claimed that the Sussexes might question leaving the royal family early on during their marriage.

Days after the wedding, Jonny Dymond, the BBC’s royal correspondent, felt something was off.

“I mean, within days, really …There were stories coming out about how Megan behaved towards staff,” he said in the BBC documentary The Prince and the Press.

Camilla Tominey, who first broke the story of Harry and Meghan’s relationship, added, “We were getting briefings that all was not well, with the relationship between William and Harry, Meghan, and Kate, and the relationship between Harry and Meghan and the royal household.”