When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to London from a six-week break in Canada in early January 2020, the calm before a constitutional storm had already settled. Their first public appearance at the Canadian High Commission on January 7 gave little away, though observers noted a distracted Prince Harry. Unbeknownst to the public, he had just delivered a seismic proposal to his father, then-Prince Charles.
The 'Semi-Detached' Royal Proposal
According to royal biographer Robert Jobson, Harry had pitched a radical 'new semi-detached set up' for himself and Meghan. Their vision was to retain their HRH titles and official patronages while earning their own money and splitting time between the UK and North America. This bid for a part-time royal role, which Harry reportedly assumed his grandmother the Queen would support, set in motion a chain of events that would fracture The Firm.
The very next day, rumours swirled that the couple were abruptly returning to Canada and reconsidering their positions. By that afternoon, January 8, 2020, a statement on their @sussexroyal Instagram account made it official: they intended to 'step back' as senior royals and 'carve out a progressive new role'. Jobson asserts this announcement 'had been made without the Queen's approval', forcing the 93-year-old monarch into crisis management.
The Fateful Sandringham Summit
Five days later, on January 13, 2020, the late Queen Elizabeth II convened an unprecedented family meeting at Sandringham House. The gathering, instantly dubbed the 'Sandringham Summit' by the press, included then-Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry. Meghan, pregnant with Archie and in Canada, was set to join via video call but was reportedly thwarted by 'technical issues'.
The 90-minute meeting in the Long Library was described as highly 'emotional'. Author Robert Jobson claims Prince Philip, once Harry's mentor, was so angered he refused to attend. Prince William arrived 'composed but distant', still seething over his brother's actions. At the heart of the discussion was the Sussexes' desire to commercialise their status, a concept the Queen found 'abhorrent'. Her position was unequivocal: 'They were either in or out.'
The Hard Terms of 'Freedom'
The summit's outcome was a stark lesson for Harry. Any hope of a 'half-in, half-out' arrangement was demolished. In a statement on January 19, Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple would be stripped of their HRH styles for commercial use and lose their royal patronages. Harry relinquished his military appointments and role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.
Financially, the couple agreed to forgo all Sovereign Grant funding and repay £2.4 million of taxpayer money used to renovate Frogmore Cottage. Meghan's Duchess title was rendered merely 'symbolic'. In a personal statement, the Queen expressed sadness but respect for their wish for an independent life, a move noted as her most personal bulletin since the death of Princess Diana.
In the years since, the summit's legacy has been one of deep estrangement. Harry, in his Netflix series and memoir Spare, recalled being 'terrified' by William's shouting and accused Charles of lying. He lamented that the meeting's outcome felt pre-determined and that Meghan, as 'the target', was excluded. The Sandringham Summit, intended as a peacekeeping mission, ultimately became the defining rupture, illustrating the immense personal cost of stepping away from the monarchy and the unwavering protocol that guards its institution.
