The Sussex's departure from the Royal Family rocked the nation and it was reported at the time that they blindsided the Queen with their decision. On Wednesday 8 Jan 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced to the world that they were "stepping back" from their roles as senior royals. They stated: "We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the royal family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty the Queen."

       The Queen's disappointment was discussed on the Channel5 documentary 2021: The Queen's Terrible Year.

       Journalist Emily Andrews said: "Harry thought that having had this year's grace period, everyone's kind of cooled down after the emotion and heat and fire of the Sandringham Summit.

       "Now everything was kind of a bit calmer, Harry was going to come over to the UK to talk to the queen in quarters face to face to try and thrash this out."

       "But a ban on non-essential travel threatened to put talks on hold."

       JUST IN: GB News' Alastair Stewart blasts taxpayers can't fund the unlimited appetite of the NHS

       Andrew Neil added: "There wasn't a great time for them to do this from their point of view.

       "I think it was also a terrible time from the Queen's point of view, given how unwell Prince Philip was and the difficulties she was going through being isolated in Windsor trying to lead the nation as best she could.

       "It's been a huge disappointment to the Queen. I don't think she really understands why it was necessary. Or why it was done."

       "The queen now faced difficult questions about the Sussexes future."

       READ MORE: Princess Charlene health update: When will Monaco's Princess return to duties?

       Since stepping down as senior royals, Harry and Meghan have spoken out about their time in the Royal Family.

       In their "bombshell" sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey, the pair spoke about how their time as royals led to a deterioration in their mental health, with Meghan even claiming that she had suicidal thoughts.

       They also claimed that there were "several conversations" within the Royal Family about how dark Meghan and Harry's baby might be.

       DON'T MISS:

       Fury over BBC 'hatchet job' - Conned into supporting Meghan and Harry

       BBC documentary claims palace ‘senior source’ helped in Meghan's court case battle

       Royal Family LIVE: BBC changes second part of royal documentary to appease Prince Harry

       The pair did not reveal who made the comments, but they did rule out the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

       Since moving to the US, Meghan Markle has never returned to UK soil.

       Harry has returned twice, for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral and the unveiling of the statue of his late mother, Princess Diana.