Meghan Markle became a member of the Royal Family in 2018 after marrying Prince Harry in a glamorous Windsor wedding. However, her time as a royal was much shorter than most had expected.
Although Meghan attended royal events and engagements, it seems life within the Firm - and the publicity that came with it - was not what she had anticipated.
As less than two years later, both she and her husband, Prince Harry, stepped back from royal duties.
At the time, the couple said they wanted financial independence and more privacy, so in 2020, they moved to America to achieve that.
However, many royal experts believe there were multiple reasons behind Meghan’s decision to step back, including the fact that she couldn’t get what she wanted from life within the Royal Family, reports the Express.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond revealed to OK! Magazine: "I have always held the view that Meghan failed to understand that she would never be the top dog in the Royal Family… or even the deputy top dog.
“There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be in complete control and charge of your life. There's nothing wrong with seeking the limelight. It's just that the Royal Family was the wrong vehicle for her ambitions."
Another royal expert shared a similar perspective, believing that Meghan never intended to remain in the Royal Family for long.
Royal expert Phil Dampier once told The Sun after Prince Harry’s solo visit to the UK in September that he didn’t believe Meghan ever felt any "affection" towards her husband’s home country.
Mr Dampier told The Sun: “To be honest, I don't think she ever intended to stay in the Royal Family.
He believed she had always planned to leave: "Unfortunately, I think she was prepared to have a wonderful wedding costing millions of pounds, but I don't think her heart was ever really in it, and I think she always planned to leave, so the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and that's what we're seeing now."
The couple now enjoy living in their Montecito mansion in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The Duke and Duchess started life away from the Firm with joint work projects, including multiple tell all interviews and Netflix documentaries, but now have been working on individual projects.
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Renae Smith, founder and director of PR firm Atticism told the Express: "I think their decision to pursue individual brands could indeed work in their favour over the long term, although it’s bound to spark a fair amount of public speculation in the short term.
"From a PR perspective, this shift might allow each of them to create distinct brands that better reflect their different priorities and resonate more coherently with their individual audiences."
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