For many members of the Royal Family a life away from the public eye is one they yearn for.
A lucky few members of the family have experienced this life including the late Queen and Prince Philip.
The then-Princess Elizabeth lived on the idyllic Mediterranean island of Malta for two years between 1949 and 1951 while Philip was as a naval officer aboard the HMS Magpie.
According to Robert Lacey in his bestselling book ‘Battle of Brothers’, the posting allowed the Queen to live a ‘normal’ life.
‘It was the first and last time she was able to sunbathe and swim off a beach, to drive her own car unnoticed… and to do her own shopping with real money,’ Robert wrote.
Robert claims that, perhaps sensing that the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex were restless, the Queen was supportive of an idea that would have seen Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spend some time living in South Africa or another southern African nation.
The proposal was made in 2019 just a year before Harry and Meghan dramatically stepped down as working royals in January 2020 and fled to Montecito.
According to Robert, the plan to get the Sussexes out of Britain ‘for a decent spell’ was hatched by Sir Christopher Geidt – the Queen’s former private secretary and now a Permanent Lord-in-Waiting – and the former ambassador to America David Manning.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Johannesburg during their tour of southern Africa in October 2019. According to Robert Lacey in his bestselling book ‘Battle of Brothers’, Queen Elizabeth was supportive of a plan which would see the couple live in Africa for a while
The then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Malta in 1949. Elizabeth lived on the idyllic Mediterranean island of Malta for two years between 1949 and 1951 while Philip was as a naval officer aboard the HMS Magpie
Lord Christopher Geidt with Meghan in March 2019. Lord Christopher’s role as Permanent Lord-in-Waiting to the Queen was, Robert claims, designed to help him ‘mentor’ Meghan as part of a ‘strategy to find new ways of integrating the young duchess more fully into royal life’
While Lord Christopher’s new role was ceremonial, Robert claims it was designed to help him ‘mentor’ Meghan as part of a ‘strategy to find new ways of integrating the young duchess more fully into royal life’.
This included the Duchess of Sussex taking over from the Queen as the patron of the National Theatre in January 2019.
And the Queen also reportedly wanted to offer Harry and Meghan a new youth role inside the Commonwealth.
However, Lord Christopher and Manning’s ‘big’ plan remained getting the Sussexes out of the country for a while to ‘give everybody a breather’.
Sending Harry and Meghan to live in southern Africa – in particular South Africa – quickly became the obvious location for this extended visit.
The couple were after all due to visit the region in September 2019 and it was viewed as a location that could benefit both of them.
Robert claims that it would give Meghan the possibility to ‘campaign in Africa to her heart’s content’ on issues such as giving teenage girls free access to sanitary products.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would also be granted the semi-regal role of being honoured around the Commonwealth which could give Harry a role that ‘truly matched but did not threaten that of the heir’.
Elizabeth and Philip’s stay in Malta allowed them to live a more ‘normal life’ where the Queen could sunbathe, swim off a beach, to drive her own car unnoticed… and do her own shopping with real money
Harry and Meghan were reportedly supportive of the plan. Meghan allegedly said: ‘We can take a step back’
According to Robert, the plan to get the Sussexes out of Britain ‘for a decent spell’ was hatched by Sir Christopher – the Queen’s former private secretary and now Permanent Lord-in-Waiting – and the former ambassador to America David Manning
Harry and Meghan were also reportedly interested in the idea. Meghan allegedly said: ‘We can take a step back.’
While Harry endorsed the plan as a chance to ‘take a breath’.
‘The couple’s relationship had taken flower in Africa after all, so maybe it, or somewhere else in the Commonwealth, might provide their next step. Cape Town could be their Malta,’ Robert wrote.
Alas, the plan did not come into fruition for reasons unknown. But the Sussexes trip to southern Africa became something of a PR disaster for the Royal Family.
With the trip being the last the couple would take before Megxit it can be seen as a haunting omen of what was to come.
Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator and public relations expert, told MailOnline in September 2020 that the trip could have been a ‘historic success’ due to memorable events such as when the couple met Archbishop Desmond Tutu with their son Archie and when Harry retraced his mother’s footsteps in an Angolan minefield.
However, these moments were overshadowed by other events such as when during an exclusive interview to ITV Meghan spoke about how she was struggling to cope with the media scrutiny on top of being a new mother and a newlywed.
During the interview she thanked the ITV journalist Tom Bradby for asking if she was ok claiming that ‘not many people have asked if I’m ok’.
The couple’s trip to Africa would be the the last taken before Megxit and it can be seen as a haunting omen of what was to come
During the tour, Harry launched into a scathing attack on the Tabloid press at home for what he called their ‘ruthless campaign’ against his wife
During an exclusive interview to ITV Meghan spoke about how she was struggling to cope with the media scrutiny on top of being a new mother and a newlywed
And then when asked if it had been a struggle she agreed with the reporter’s analysis.
During the tour, Harry also launched into a scathing attack on the Tabloid press at home for what he called their ‘ruthless campaign’ against his wife.
On top of this, the trip cost an eye-watering £246,000, making it the most expensive royal trip ever at that point.
Three months later, Harry and Meghan revealed on Instagram their plans to ‘step back as senior members’ of the Firm and work to become ‘financially independent’ while splitting their time between the UK and the US.
It sent shockwaves around the world, and the coining of the term ‘Megxit’ quickly followed – which became one of Collins Dictionary’s Words of the Year in 2020.
The Queen was said to be ‘personally hurt’ by the manner in which it came about, and the Royal Family’s collective disappointment at not being able to watch young Archie grow up.
However, Elizabeth was praised for her handling of the crisis which saw her issue a rare personal statement.
In the statement, she said: ‘Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.’
Now, Harry and Meghan are living in a $14million mansion in Montecito – an area of California popular with the rich and famous such as singer Ariana Grande and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
