Harry and Meghan made clear what they wanted – but did they get it?

Ten days after Harry and Meghan’s bombshell announcement that they wish to step back as “senior” royals, a deal has been struck between the Sussexes and the Queen.

It’s been dubbed a “hard Megxit” with a source saying “you can’t be half in and half out”.

So did they get what they wanted?

Sky News looks at what they hoped for and what they got.

What they said about their titles

Harry and Meghan referred to themselves as “Their Royal Highnesses” and “the Duke and Duchess of Sussex” throughout their statements and across their website, which they called “Sussex Royal”.

However, while they are allowed to still officially be HRH, they cannot use the title anymore.

They will be styled Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Harry will always be a prince and remains sixth in line to the throne.

Being allowed to keep their HRH is a distinction from both Diana and Sarah Ferguson, who were stripped of theirs after their divorces.

Harry also has to give up his military titles, a big sacrifice for someone who spent 10 years serving including doing tours in Afghanistan and who set up the Invictus Games as a reflection of his time there.

When Archie was born, they chose not to give him a title, and he is too far down the line of accession to automatically be a prince.

He will likely still be entitled to a title when he is older, though his parents will probably never give him one.

What they said about their work

The duke and duchess said they wanted to be “financially independent”, losing the money they are given each year from the royal purse in order to pursue their own sources of income.

They intended to balance this with supporting the Queen, but there’s no real UK precedent for a structure whereby royals make money and represent the monarch.

Harry and Meghan have been able to secure the independence they wanted – but at the cost of supporting the Queen.

But they did not reference the source of 95% of their income – which comes from Prince Charles. It is thought he may still be funding them though this is not taxpayer money.

What they said about their patronages

The couple said in their statement that they wanted to continue to honour their duty to their patronages. Harry had many and Meghan had been given a handful since joining the Royal Family, including Smart Works and the National Theatre.

On their website, they wrote: “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have chosen their patronages to support charitable organisations that represent causes important to them and that honour the legacy of Her Majesty The Queen.”

In a statement from Buckingham Palace, the Queen said: “With the Queen’s blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations.”

They will no longer receive any public funds or carry out any royal duties, so any visits made as patrons will be as private individuals and not on behalf of the Queen.

What they said about Frogmore

It was revealed that £2.4m of taxpayers’ money was spent on refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s home in Windsor, Frogmore Cottage.

Although they did not reveal on their website any plans to pay the taxpayer back, the Buckingham Palace statement said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their wish to repay sovereign grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home.”

This could be to temper public opinion over the amount spent on renovation.

Frogmore was converted from five separate residences into one home and will still be their base when they are in the UK.

What they said about the Commonwealth

Harry and Meghan dedicated a section on their website to supporting the Commonwealth, the network of nations which have the Queen as their head.

They wrote: “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are honoured to help fulfil this potential through their roles as President and Vice President, respectively, of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

“The Duke of Sussex was also given the role of Commonwealth Youth Ambassador by Her Majesty The Queen in 2017.”

But the Queen is a staunch defender of the Commonwealth and while the duke is allowed to continue his work with Sentebale, he has been forced to give up his Commonwealth role.

This is clearly not what they hoped the outcome would be when they launched their plan.

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

What they said about where they will live

Harry and Meghan said they wanted to retain Frogmore as their base in the UK, but they indicated that much of their time would be spent in North America.

Now they will repay the taxpayer cash from the sovereign grant which paid for the renovations and they could pay rent on the property when they are in the UK.

In their statement they said they wanted to “balance” their time between the two places, but now it seems they will be there the majority of the year.

It is thought they will live in Canada, where Meghan lived for several years while filming Suits.

What they said about the press

Harry and Meghan have said they want to step away from the royal rota system, claiming it prevents them sharing images more directly with the public and saying that it generates false stories about their private lives.

The royal rota is the traditional method by which the UK press reports on the royals, with accredited members, royal correspondents, attending events in order to cover what happens and share information with other members of the pool.

The Queen has not raised an objection to their decision to step back from the current system and certainly if they are not senior members they will not be covered in the same way as older brother William is.

The Queen did also give a hint of understanding, mentioning the “intense scrutiny” that they faced.

The couple will now have autonomy over what they share with the public and how.

What they said about how all this will happen

The duke and duchess did not put a timeframe on the plans, but in their statement talked about it coming together “in due course”.

The Queen, however, wanted a solution in days, not weeks, and she got one.

But there will be a review in a year’s time to see how things have worked out.

It all comes into force in the spring.

(c) Sky News 2020: Harry and Meghan made clear what they wanted – but did they get it?