Meghan Markle's final solo engagement as a working royal ended with a seven-word farewell to staff, according to a tell-all royal biography.
The Duchess and Prince Harry stepped down as working members of the royal family in 2020, two years after their 2018 wedding. The pair first met in 2016.
Final Royal Engagement
Before leaving for the US, the couple completed their last official royal engagement at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in 2020. The annual service is the first occasion in the royal calendar to celebrate both the Commonwealth and the King, and is attended by senior royals.
On the morning of the service, Meghan undertook her final solo engagement by meeting with scholars from across the Commonwealth at Buckingham Palace in her then-capacity as patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
Farewell to Staff
At the end of this engagement, Meghan made a farewell to staff who had assembled, according to the Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom, released in August 2020 by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.
The authors described witnessing several of Meghan's staff members bid farewell. They wrote: “Staff who had been with the couple from day one were mourning the end of what was supposed to be a happy story: two people fall in love, get married, have a baby, serve the Queen, the end. Instead, they were leaving the country.”
Emotional Parting Words
A member of staff recounted Meghan's parting words as the engagement drew to a close, reports The Mirror. Meghan reportedly had an emotional seven-word message as she hugged the staff member goodbye, saying: “It didn't have to be this way.”
Prince Harry also appeared to be emotional during the service, reportedly “fighting back the tears” at the Commonwealth event, according to one account.
The Sussexes have just returned to the UK after six years living in the US. They arrived back at the end of August and brought their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
