The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confront a pivotal moment — reckoning with the past while mapping what comes next

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, on April 17, 2026.Credit : Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty

In January 2020, at what became known as the Sandringham Summit, Queen Elizabeth drew a firm line. After intense talks about what the future would look like for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the answer was clear: There would be no “half in, half out” role. They could not remain working members of the royal family while pursuing independent, income-generating ventures. The couple would step back—fully.

When the Queen publicly confirmed the decision, making clear it was “not possible” for them to continue with the responsibilities that come with a life of public service outside the institution, Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, pushed back with a statement of their own: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

Six years on, that belief still shapes their path. During an unannounced visit to Ukraine on April 24, Harry was asked whether he recognized the label “not a working royal.” “No,” he said. “I will always be part of the royal family. . . . I am here working, doing the things I was born to do.” In Australia, where Harry’s father, King Charles, is head of state, the Sussexes spent four days in April moving through engagements that echoed an official royal tour, from hospital visits to moments of remembrance, while also embracing the independent, income-generating model that now underpins their work.

For some inside palace circles, that overlap remains deeply contentious. “They are pushing the envelope and making it much more difficult for reconciliation to happen,” says Sally Bedell Smith, author of the Royals Extra Substack.

In Ukraine, Harry stepped into territory traditionally avoided by the royals. Speaking at the Kyiv Security Forum, he called for “American leadership” in the ongoing war—a remark that carried clear political weight. The moment came just days before King Charles’s state visit to the U.S., a tightly choreographed trip that, sources say, left no room for any private meeting between father and son. While Harry emphasized that he was speaking “not as a politician” but as a soldier and humanitarian, the remarks were striking.

Prince Harry delivers a speech during the Kyiv Security Forum, in Kyiv on April 23, 2026.Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty

Together, the two trips illustrate the space the Sussexes now occupy—outside the boundaries the institution has long sought to maintain. “The monarchy is meant to be above politics and commercial imperatives,” says Valentine Low, author of Courtiers. “This is exactly what the late Queen wanted to avoid.” Insists a source close to Harry: “This idea that he’s going against the wishes of the Queen by being half in, half out is nonsense. None of this is being done in the name of the institution.”

On the ground in Australia, the response told a different story. “There were joyful, smiling people everywhere they went,” says Kylie Walters, royal correspondent for WHO magazine there. “People wanted to see them.” The visit began April 14 with a stop at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, where patients and staff lined the halls to greet them—almost eight years after their last visit to the country, in 2018, when they were newly married and firmly within the royal fold.

The impact of the latest trip was immediate. “I gave Harry flowers, and he said ‘Thank you’ and told me to ‘keep on being brave,’ ” says Novalie Morris, 12, a patient who met the couple. “It cheered me up a lot—I’ll keep thinking about that.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne on April 14, 2026.Asanka Ratnayake/Getty

At a war memorial in Canberra, Harry laid a wreath, his military medals pinned to a suit—including those from his late grandmother—a quiet reminder that since stepping back from being a working royal, he is no longer permitted to wear his military uniform. When he was barred from doing so at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022, his spokesperson said that “his decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears.”

Prince Harry lays a wreath at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on April 15, 2026.Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP via Getty

Meghan, meanwhile, spent time at a women’s shelter, serving food and speaking with families. And on Sydney Harbour they joined Invictus Australia team members and veterans for a sailing event. “Harry was completely relaxed—Invictus is where he belongs,” Walters says of the international adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans that Harry founded in 2014. “People gravitate toward him, and he knows how to make them feel special. The royal family misses out on that. It’s a sad reminder of the global platform he could have had. It’s the closest he’s going to get to continuing to serve on his own terms.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sail on Sydney Harbour with members of Invictus Australia on April 17, 2026.Cameron Spencer/Getty

But alongside those traditional moments of service was something far less familiar. Harry-delivered a ticketed keynote speech at the Melbourne InterEdge Summit, where seats initially ran into the thousands, while Meghan made a surprise appearance as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia and a paid appearance at a women’s retreat, where $3,199 VIP packages included a group photo with her. The outing came a year after the launch of her lifestyle brand As ever, with guests receiving products in swag bags. “They have a big security bill and a lifestyle to maintain, so it’s not surprising they’re taking on money-making ventures,” says Walters.

Meghan Markle at the “Her Best Life” women’s retreat in Sydney on April 17, 2026.Her Best Life

Meghan’s fashion choices were also linked to an AI-powered shopping platform, OneOff, allowing followers to purchase the looks she wore during the trip—many by Australian designers. Through the partnership she earns a commission. Her page drew more than a million views within the first three days, with several items selling out.

“The royals are influencers, but the mystique is that they are not promoting themselves as such,” says Bethan Holt, fashion director at The Telegraph. “Meghan is lifting the veil.” Adds Bedell Smith: “It was shocking to see her go to the hospital and then sell the clothing she was wearing. I’ve never seen anybody in the royal family do that. I can’t imagine it went down well with the palace.”

For critics it raises a broader question about where public service ends and personal branding begins, yet those close to the couple push back on that characterization. “They’re not reliant on Harry’s father or taxpayer-funded money,” says an insider. “They pay their own bills and make their own money while continuing to support a lot of causes that might otherwise go unseen. It enables them to do what they love doing.”

Adds another source: “They’re trying to live their life, raise their children [Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4], do meaningful work and earn a living.”

Palace insiders say it is more likely to deepen tensions with the royal family. “It won’t help Harry’s case or promote good relations,” says Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson.

For Prince William, the issue is especially firm: “What Harry and Meghan are doing is a nonnegotiable for William,” Anderson says of the future King’s view within the royal family. “He wouldn’t count­e­nance any acceptance of it.”

King Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on March 9, 2020 in London.Phil Harris – WPA Pool/Getty

After years of distance—strained by Harry’s legal battle over security and the fallout from his memoir Spare—there has been some renewed contact between him and his father, 77, in recent months, though they haven’t seen each other since September. But the divide remains most acute with his brother William, 43, with some questioning whether the rift can ever heal. “William is over all the -drama,” says Robert Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy. “He doesn’t need it, and he doesn’t want it. He’s too busy and focused on his own family.” For now, adds Bedell Smith, “they’re at a standoff.”

Those close to the Sussexes, however, describe a more measured reality behind the scenes. “Meghan lets him lead on all royal matters and dictate what needs to happen,” a friend says. “But it would never put them at odds—they’re on the same team.”

Says another source: “It remains very emotional. Harry and Meghan are both realistic. They’re not approaching it with the expectation of a quick resolution. It’s about taking small, manageable steps and seeing where things land. This remains very important to Harry, with Meghan supportive.”

King Charles and Prince Harry on Sept. 14, 2022.Jeff J Mitchell – WPA Pool/Getty

While Harry has long spoken of hoping for reconciliation, he’s still reckoning with his upbringing. At the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne he reflected on the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, and the years he spent resisting the role he was born into. “I was like, ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role—wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,’ ” he said. “It killed my mom, and I was very much against it.” Over time, though, “I realized . . . how would somebody else make the most of this platform?” he said. “And what would my mom want me to do?”

At home in Montecito, Calif., work is scheduled around school hours; weekends are for family time. “Archie and Lilibet are their life,” says a staffer who has worked for the couple since their early days in California. “There’s a real warmth and a sense of normalcy.”

Prince Harry, Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet and Meghan Markle.Meghan Markle/Instagram

Both have built tight-knit circles. Harry maintains a close group of friends, many of them fellow dads. “He really thrives on those friendships and values that sense of connection,” the close source says. Meanwhile, Meghan keeps a small, loyal group of longtime friends, often meeting for workouts or quiet nights out together. “They’re very careful about who they allow into their lives,” a friend says.

That loyalty runs deep. “No matter what she has going on, she always makes time for her friends,” says Meghan’s friend Kelly McKee Zajfen, who recently welcomed son Jack after the loss of her son Georgie, 9, in 2022. “She really shows up, and not just when it’s easy.”

It’s a side of Meghan that is often overlooked. At an April 16 discussion with Batyr, an Australian youth mental health charity, Meghan spoke candidly about online abuse. “Every day for 10 years I have been bullied and attacked,” she said. “I was the most trolled person in the entire world . . . and I’m still here.”

Her resilience is hard-won, sources say. “They both try to focus on staying as positive as possible,” says a source. “But people forget they’re human beings, especially Meghan. There’s only so much a person can handle.” Still, that same source says their focus remains steady: “They wake up every day focused on being the best parents they can be. No matter what comes at them, they pick themselves up and keep moving forward.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on February 15, 2026 at the NBA All-Star Game.Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty

Nearly eight years after their wedding, Harry and Meghan’s bond remains central. “They are the biggest champions of each other,” says the staffer. “The more adversity they face, the more they come together.”

That partnership propels their next chapter, even as scrutiny persists. “This is the shape of things to come,” says Anderson. “There is nothing to stop them from doing this.”

Adds Low: “The palace might not like it, but they can do it. The question is whether it’s sustainable.”

For their future to hold, their ventures will need to succeed. While their widely reported $100 million Netflix deal wasn’t renewed, the relationship has evolved into a first-look arrangement, with several projects still in development, including a scripted series set in the world of polo. A documentary they backed, Cookie Queens, has also gained traction on the festival circuit and is now set for a theatrical release.

Meghan, meanwhile, is focused on building As ever into a lasting business. The brand continues to roll out new products, including a Mother’s Day collection featuring candles inspired by the couple’s children. “It is still in test-and-learn mode,” says the close source. “She wakes up thinking about new ideas and works on it all the time.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Bondi Beach on April 17, 2026.Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP via Getty

While reports of high staff turnover have raised questions about the couple’s working environment, others who remain describe a different experience. “There are quite a few of us who’ve been here a long time,” says one six-year staffer. “Much of her company is made up of young women, and she really champions them. She’s always said to me, ‘Just speak up’—that’s one of her biggest things.”

Those close to the couple believe their trip to Australia set a new blueprint. The late Queen herself once recognized the positive effect Harry and Meghan could have across the Commonwealth—and supporters say their influence has not disappeared. “They’re very aware of the impact their presence can have,” says the longtime staffer. Walters adds, “A lot is forgiven when you’re on the ground and you show up and do good work. That magic and allure of a royal doesn’t necessarily come down to a title.”