Prince Harry and Meghan Markle initially hope to leave the U.K. for only one year before returning

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have considered leaving the UK for a year, as Queen Elizabeth did in Malta, a new book says.

In a new book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, Sir David Manning, a former ambassador to the United States who served as Prince William and Prince Harry's diplomatic advisor for 10 years, was preparing a future plan for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Valentine Lowe stated. He believed that the Sussexes should have a period of time to pursue their charitable work, that they should pursue Harry's love of Africa and his deep-seated interest in conservation, and that Meghan would want some private time in the U.S. away from the public eye.

"Manning also looked at other royal couples and how they were spending their time before royal life was completely taken over," the Mirror reported.

"Shortly after the Queen and Prince Philip married, they lived on the island of Malta, while William and Kate began their married life on the island of Anglesey," Law wrote in her book.

"Harry and Meghan could also go away for a while, Manning said. A year in South Africa seemed the obvious choice. A document was written outlining the options, and the couple reportedly liked the idea of a year in Africa"

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Spoiler alert: the plan never materialized. Writes Law, "Money and security were probably the two major issues that screwed up this plan." Says Manning. The problems were real, and there was no willingness to find the resources."

The plan was brought up by the Sussexes in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, who said that the couple's original idea was to move to a Commonwealth country while continuing to represent the queen as a non-senior royal.

"We said, 'If this is not for everybody, we are very distressed, and if they are not providing us with the help we need, we can step back. We said, 'Just do it in a Commonwealth country,'" Megan said. 'We suggested New Zealand or South Africa. ......

Harry added that the move would give them a "breather," and Meghan suggested Canada. Ultimately, the couple stayed in Canada briefly before moving permanently to California in 2020, where they continue to live with their children Archie and Lili in Montecito.