This week, it was announced that the Metropolitan Police will not take any further action against Prince Andrew after claims he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager. Virginia is suing the Duke of York in the US, while Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Virginia alleges that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times between 2001 and 2002, when she was 17 years old – and that the abuse happened in London, New York and on his friend Jeffrey Epstein's private island in the Caribbean.
‘As a result of what's going on, I've asked my team to have another look at the material,’ Met Police chief Cressida Dick told reporters in August. ‘No one is above the law.’ Less than two months later, the Met has concluded their investigation into Virginia's claims about Prince Andrew, stating: ‘We are taking no further action.’
The Met also said it will continue to liaise with other law enforcement agencies investigating matters associated with Epstein. But for many, that will not be good enough.
Ever since Andrew was accused, questions have been raised about the way in which the royal family are protecting him from this scandal - particularly, in comparison to other royals.
Take the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for example, who experienced such traumatising media attention that they chose to step down as senior royals altogether. And then? Rather than the royal family reacting accordingly and protecting the couple, Meghan and Harry lost a number of privileges that Prince Andrew has been allowed to keep despite bringing as much scandal – and much more disgrace, even simply being accused – to the family name.
For proof, look no further than our list of all the things Meghan and Harry lost simply for stepping out of the royal limelight, that Prince Andrew still enjoys to this day…
Security
Meghan and Harry famously lost their security detail when they chose to step down as senior royals. Even before they married, Harry says he was told that Meghan should ‘carry on acting because there's not the money to pay for her [security]’ and later, after Archie was born, the couple said they were informed that their son would not receive security ‘because he’s not going to be a prince’.
It was a shockwave of the Oprah Winfrey interview, with Meghan adding: ‘We haven't created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder… [The institution] allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe.’
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew is still entitled to his security, despite stepping back from his public duties amid the scandal. His three-bodyguard team – which costs £300,000 - was expected to be axed in June 2020 after he stepped back from public life, but a royal source told The Sun: ‘The Queen has made it clear that she was not happy with the proposal. It has been stopped and will be reviewed over the next few weeks.'
Military titles
Another controversial moment came when Prince Harry lost his honorary military titles – which included Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief Small Ships and Diving – after stepping back as a senior royal, despite his active duty in 2001. As a result of this, Prince Harry was not allowed to wear military uniform at his grandfather’s funeral.
In August this year, it was emerged that the Queen has allowed Andrew to keep all of his honorary titles, including Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm and Honorary Air Commodore in the RAF. This was despite calls from the public to remove his titles following the allegations around his connection to Epstein.
Prince Harry wasn’t allowed to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday
According to reports, ahead of the November 2020 Cenotaph ceremony to mark Remembrance Sunday, Prince Harry was told he could not lay a wreath. Then, when he could not attend the ceremony due to the pandemic, it was then reported that the Duke of Sussex requested a wreath be laid in his name - a request which was turned down.
While Andrew did not attend the 2020 ceremony either, he was allowed to lay a wreath at the 2019 Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph, three months after Andrew was named in a case between Virginia and Ghislaine Maxwell in the US. What’s more? The ceremony took place only eight days prior to his notorious BBC Newsnight interview airing, meaning the palace was more than aware of the scandal to come.
Of course, there’s a lot more that Meghan and Harry have lost in stepping down as senior royals that some may deem unfair. Their British office and staff, their royal patronages, all working duties for the Queen. Andrew has also lost his charitable roles and working duties (temporarily, at least), but given he is disputing claims of a serious crime, while Meghan and Harry simply wanted to diminish some of their duties to dampen the ferocious media attention on their family, it is questionable how equitable the treatment is.
Click through for Harry and Meghan's relationship timeline...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relationship timeline - Grazia
1 of 17July 2016: Meghan And Harry Meet
So when did the future Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were introduced by a mutual friend in July 2016, originally thought to be Markus Anderson (also the director of Soho house) but who was later confirmed to be Violet von Westenholz. Meghan said in an interview that before she met the Harry she didn't know much about him 'the only thing that I had asked [our mutual friend] was, 'Well is he nice?'. According to Harry he knew Meghan was The One from 'the very first time we met.' after only two dates Harry asked Meghan to accompany him on a trip to Botswana.
2 of 17October - November 2016: Kensington Palace's Statement
In October 2016 that the Express became the first newspaper to publish news that Prince Harry had a new girlfriend. However just a month later, Kensington Palace released a statement condemning the 'wave of abuse and harassment' faced by Meghan. The unprecedented statement, which referred to Meghan as Harry's girlfriend for the first time, emphasized that Prince Harry was 'worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her.' It continued 'It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.' The palace were also forced to address speculation that Prince William was unhappy with Harry for confirming the relationship too soon, stating 'The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him.'
3 of 17December - February 2017: Things Get More Serious
Early in December 2017 Meghan was confirmed as the most Googled actress of 2016. In the same month, the couple were photographed together for the first time in London, shopping for a Christmas tree at the Pines and Needles store and attending a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. By January 2017 a source told US weekly that Harry had introduced Meghan to Kate and Prince Charlotte and that the 'meeting went well'. Meanwhile a source told The Sun that Meghan had 'virtually moved in' with Prince Harry to his cottage on the Kensington Palace estate.
4 of 17March - May 2017: Meghan Attends Weddings With Harry
By March things were openly getting pretty serious between the two: Meghan accompanied Harry to Jamaica for a wedding for the first time (his friend's Tom 'Skippy' Inskip to Lara Hughes-Young). On April the 7th Meghan announced that she was closing down her lifestyle blog The Tig writing 'What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity. You've made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy.' In May, Meghan and Harry attended their first public event together at the Polo in Coworth Park (where they also engaged in some PDA). Later in May Prince Harry was seen driving Meghan to the reception of Pippa Middleton and James Matthew's wedding.
5 of 17September 2017: The First Official Public Appearance
Welcome to Meghan the style Icon: at the opening of Prince Harry's Invictus Games in September Meghan wore a maroon midi dress with a pleated chiffon skirt by one of her favourite Canadian brands, Aritzia with a burgundy biker jacket by Mackage. The next day the couple were photographed sitting together at the wheelchair tennis and 'broke with royal protocol' by holding hands and kissing at the closing ceremony. On the 5th of September In an interview with Vanity Fair, Meghan stated: 'We're a couple. We're in love. I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people understand is that this is our time.'
6 of 17September-November 2017: Meghan Leaves Behind Rachel Zane
Late 2017 we saw the end of everyone's favourite legal powerhouse Rachel Zane (sob). In November 2017, shortly after Meghan met the Queen, the actress was reported to be leaving her role in Suits after seven seasons.
7 of 17November 2017: The Engagement
After months of speculation, Prince Charles announced the engagement of his younger son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after 15 months of dating On November 27th 2017 . The engagement ring, said to be designed by Harry, is made of two stones that belonged to Princess Diana. The couple later appeared at a photocall, with Markle wearing a white dress coat by Canadian brand Line The Label (whose website subsequently crashed). When asked by waiting photographers if the proposal was romantic, Harry joked 'of course!' Speaking about his late mother, Princess Diana, Harry said 'I think they'd be thick as thieves. She would be over the moon, jumping up and down, so excited for me... It's days like today when I really miss having her around and miss being able to share the happy news. With the ring, I'm sure she's with us, jumping up and down somewhere else.' it was announced that the wedding would take place on May the 19th, 2018.
8 of 17December 2017: The Fab Four
In December 2017 Meghan, Harry, Kate and William were photographed together attending the Christmas service at Sandringham. Pictures of the two couples earned them the title 'The Fab Four'. Meanwhile in the following months Meghan earned a reputation for breaking royal protocol on official visits by hugging fans of the couple and kissing them on the cheek.
9 of 17February 2018: Kate And Meghan Appear In Public Together
In February 2018, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle had their first royal engagement together for the Royal Foundation Forum with Prince Harry and Prince William. Harry stated of the two couples 'We have different opinions and they work really well [together]. Working as family does have its challenges; of course it does. The fact that everybody is laughing shows they know exactly what's it like… But we are stuck together for the rest of our lives.'
10 of 17May 2018: The Lead Up To The Wedding
In the lead-up to the wedding it was confirmed 2,640 people would be invited to the grounds of Windsor Palace to watch the royal wedding. Photos of Meghan and Harry's wedding invitations were released, bearing Harry's legal name 'Henry'. Meghan and Harry made a number of public appearances together including to the Invictus game tryouts in April and attend the Queen's birthday at the Royal Albert Hall. Meghan's final episode of Suits is also aired, marking the official end of her acting career.
11 of 17May 2018: Meghan's Family Drama Begins
On May the 14th, three days before the wedding Meghan's father, Thomas Markle sr. who was confirmed to walk Meghan down the aisle pulled out, following an embarrassing incident in which he staged paid paparazzi photos. Thomas Markle later suffered a heart attack, and his son Thomas Markle Jr. penned an unflattering open letter to Harry criticizing Meghan and encouraging him to pull out of the wedding. The day before the wedding, Kensington Palace announced Prince Charles would walk Meghan down the aisle, stating 'The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms. Markle to The Royal Family in this way.'
12 of 17May 2018: The Royal Wedding
Meghan and Harry wed on the 19th of May for a combined audience of 11.5 million people who tuned in to watch the ceremony. Meghan's gown was made by Clare Waight Keller, artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy which she later changed for a silk crepe dress by Stella McCartney. Her mother Doria Ragland attended the ceremony along with a host of celebrities including Meghan's former Suits cast and her close friends, George and Amal Clooney.
13 of 17May - October 2018: Married Life
Throughout May of 2018 Harry and Meghan made their first official appearances as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. For her inaugural attendance to the Trooping of the Colour Meghan wore an off-the-shoulder dress, reportedly breaking royal protocal. In the following months the newlyweds made a number of public appearances including to Ireland to meet the country's officials. They also took a rumoured trip to visit George and Amal Clooney in Lake Como.
14 of 17October 2018: The Royal Baby Announcement
Speculation began during Princess Eugenie's wedding that Meghan was pregnant owing to her loose coat. The rumours were confirmed when Kensington Palace announced on the 15th of October 2018 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expecting a child. The announcement also coincided with the first day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official tour.
15 of 17October 2018: Meghan And Harry's First Royal Tour
In October Meghan and Harry departed for their 16-day Autumn royal tour visiting Australia, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand (obviously featuring some serious style moments from the newly-appointed Duchess of Sussex/Style). By November, sources were telling news outlets that the couple were preparing to move to Frogmore cottage in Windsor in 2019. The couple spent the anniversary of their engagement, November the 27th apart, due to Harry being in Zambia.
16 of 17November 2018 - Present: Feud Rumours
As Meghan and Harry embarked on life as newlyweds there was less plainsailing, as controversy continued to follow closely on their heels. Meghan's family have continued to be the subject of unflattering media headlines and Thomas Markle gave interviews to the media about his distanced relationship with his daughter. Meanwhile Samantha Markle (Meghan's half sister, who also claims to be penning a book about the Duchess) was put on a fixated persons list after showing up at Kensington palace in January. Rumours of a froideur between Meghan and Kate were sparked shortly after Meghan and Harry's nuptials by reports that Meghan reduced Kate 'to tears' during challenging dress fittings with Princess Charlotte. In February, Thomas Markle leaks a handwritten letter from Meghan to the media in response to friends of the Duchess defending her in an interview and following numerous staff changes, rumours arise that Meghan and Harry's staff refer to Meghan by the nickname 'The difficult Duchess'.
17 of 17March 2019: The Royal Households Split
In March 2019 it was confirmed that the Sussex and Cambridge's 'royal households' will split, meaning the couples will no longer share staff. Royal spokespersons confirm that Kate and William's staff team will stay in Kensington Palace while Meghan and Harry's staff will be based in Buckingham Palace, reflecting the location of their new residence of Frogmore cottage in Windsor. Representatives are quick to confirm this is a planned move, and not due to rumors of growing tensions between the couples.