On Friday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially announced that they will not return as working members of the Royal Family. As a result, honorary military appointments and royal patronages will be returned to the Queen and “redistributed among working members of The Royal Family”. Harry and Meghan’s decision comes almost a year to the date after their departure for America.

The couple had said that they wanted to continue serving the Queen, while leading financially independent lives.

However, such a proposal was never acceptable to senior Royal Family members, which included Prince Charles, William and the Queen herself.

Sky’s Royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills wrote in her column: “From what I understand from a palace source it was made clear during the ‘Sandringham Summit’ last January, where the family discussed the Sussexes new plan, that the Queen, the Prince of Wales and Prince William didn’t see how they could be half in half out, make their own money but still do some royal duties on behalf of the Queen.

Ms Mills goes on to say that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be a loss to the Royal Family.

“There is no doubt they can connect with an audience that other members of the royal family can’t through their commitment to issues around diversity and equality,” she said.