When they stepped back as senior members of the Royal family in January 2020 they dreamed of a progressive new role within the monarchy that would see them work to become financially independent while still supporting the Queen.
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we have seen Harry andMeghan being offered a different type of royalty than they originally thought they would get.
The news that the couple accidentally received an invitation to Sunday night's "state reception of the century" at Buckingham Palace only to have it revoked at the last minute shows that they may have a discretionary "in" when it comes to family occasions.
There is a distinction to be made between what the non-working Sussexes can be involved with as much loved members of the family and what their inferior status allows.
The distinction was drawn between the new Prince and Princess of Wales continuing to inspire and lead our national conversations and Harry andMeghan continuing to build their lives overseas, by King Charles in his first speech.
Even though it is being hosted by Harry's father and stepmother, they are still very much on the outside looking in. Communications between the palace and their former principals are no longer what they used to be.
The palace powers-that-be have decided that there is a time and a place for Harry andMeghan, and they have denied them the chance to rub shoulders with the likes of Joe Biden, the US president, and New Zealand's prime minister.
The Duke of York is a non- working royal.
In withdrawing the offer, the so-called men in grey suits may have been aware of the increasingly politicized nature of some of their recent interventions.
The snub will be a blow to Harry as fifth-in-line to the throne and the King's son, as well as to the duchess, who has tried to position herself as a global powerhouse.
Before she married Harry, the former actress made a lot of her high-level connections, posting a photograph of herself speaking to Trudeau and forging a close friendship with Mulroney, the daughter-in-law of Trudeau's predecessor Brian Mul.
The mother of two wrote a letter to Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, advocating for paid family leave. She would have been happy to have pressed the flesh with President Biden, since she had previously described him as "misogynistic" and "divisive".
Although Harry did not personally intervene over the decision to ban him from wearing military uniform, the couple do appear quite put out by the reception rebuff.
A source close to the Sussexes said that they had done everything they were supposed to do during the period of mourning and were determined to keep the focus on the Queen.
The source said that they had done everything possible. They smiled and shook hands when they showed up.
If your name isn't on the official House of Windsor team sheet, you won't get in.
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