Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's 'Painful' Journey 1 Year After Megxit: What Did Their Freedom Cost?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are doing well one year after they decided to step down as working royals, but the journey has been "painful," a report says.

In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step back as "senior" royals and work to become financially independent—a promise that they have fulfilled a year later. After moving to the U.S., they purchased their Santa Barbara mansion with their own funds, launched their Archewell organization and signed multi-million dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify.

But royal biographer and correspondent Omid Scobie said Prince Harry and Markle's success and freedom also came at a price.

"To be at the point they are at now, having set up an empire and a charity in just over nine months, shows just how hard they have worked to make this transition a success," Scobie told "Finding freedom" co-author Carolyn Durand in her piece for Grazia. "But it’s taken a lot of work to get here. The journey has been painful."

For the Duke of Sussex, the most difficult part was being stripped of his military honors and role as the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, according to Durand.

"It stung, and even today he has not been able to move on from that," a source close to Prince Harry told Durand.

Prince Harry served in the military for 10 years, and his service to the global veteran community inspired him to launch the Invictus Games. Despite losing their royal roles and privileges, the Sussexes said their future work would "continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty."

Prince Harry and Markle's finances were also affected by their decision to leave the royal life behind. They announced that they would reimburse the £2.4 million ($3.2 million) Sovereign Grant spent for the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, their home in the U.K. In addition, they have been forced to pay for their own security because they no longer have the privilege of royal protection.

But the couple was able to fund both the renovation and their security after signing their multi-year production deal with Netflix in the summer that is estimated to be worth up to $150 million.

As for Markle, she has struggled with enjoying motherhood and working on her projects while constantly moving from one home to another over the past year. After leaving the U.K., she, Prince Harry and son Archie had moved from Windsor to Vancouver, then to Tyler Perry's Hollywood Hills property, before finally settling down in their mansion in Montecito, California. In addition, the duchess said in November that she had suffered a miscarriage in July.

"It’s just been a lot," a friend of Markle told Durand. "Their nanny moved back to the U.K. when they moved to L.A. because of the pandemic and restrictions left them feeling quite alone. Each move made them feel more displaced."

Despite the struggles they faced, the Sussexes reportedly have no regrets over their decision. According to reports, Prince Harry and Markle are happy that they took a huge leap of faith to embark on a new journey and have no plans to turn back.