What Prince Harry and Meghan might do next: royals who have quit and what they did
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not the first royals in the world to have second thoughts about the pressures, restrictions and difficulties of public life.
Their announcement on Wednesday, that they plan to "step back" from royal duties to become more independent, took Buckingham Palace by surprise - but perhaps the Queen's household should have been more prepared. The Sussexes are not alone in recent history.
Here are a few princes and princesses who turned their back on the glitz and glamour of the palace.
Princess Ubolratana of Thailand
Princess Ubolratana was second in line to the throne in Thailand but gave up her royal status in 1972 when she married an American commoner, Peter Jensen, whom she met at university in the United States. After they divorced in 1998, she went back to her royal duties and returned to Thailand permanently in 2001.
She embarked on an acting career, starring in films such as Where The Miracle Happens (2008), My Best Bodyguard (2010) and Together (2012).
Last year she caused a brief constitutional crisis when she attempted to run for Prime Minister of Thailand for the Raksa Chart Party. However, on the day she announced her candidacy her younger brother, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, issued an emergency royal decree saying her actions were "inappropriate" and "unconstitutional". And that was that.
Marius Borg Hoiby
Marius Borg Hoiby's life was transformed when he was only two after his mother started a relationship with a new man. That man was Haakon, the Crown Prince of Norway. Mette-Marit, Marius's mother, met the prince in 1999 and despite her unsuitable background - she was a former waitress who was part of Oslo’s nightclubbing scene and the man she just broken up with had a drug conviction - Haakon asked his father, King Harald V, if he could marry her and they wed in 2001.
Marius Borg Høiby, now 22, grew up around the royal palace but left Norway for university in California. He now lives in London and has stepped away from royal duties and engagements.
Mamma ville ha fotocred så her får hun det
A post shared by Marius Borg Høiby (@marius_borg) on Apr 13, 2019 at 3:29am PDT
Princess Madeleine's children
Princess Madeleine is the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. She was once considered a possible match for Prince William before he married Kate Middleton. She moved to New York in 2010 and married an American man. After living in London for a number of years, they moved to Florida in 2018.
Last year, the king decreed that her children - Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne - will no longer be royal highnesses, and will not carry out official duties, as part of a bid to save royal costs.
Though her children remain in the line to the throne, Princess Madeleine, 37, said they now have more freedom over their lives as private citizens.
Prince Johan Friso
Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands gave up his claim to the throne after a scandal. He was engaged to marry Mabel Wisse Smit in 2003 but she admitted to a casual relationship with Klaas Bruinsma, an infamous Dutch drug baron, that she had not previously disclosed.
They defied parliament to marry in 2004 and he lost his place as second in the line of succession.
In 2012, Prince Friso was injured in an avalanche in Lech, Austria, an injury from which he never recovered. He died in 2013.
Princess Sayako
In 2005, Princess Sayako, the only daughter of Emperor Akihito of Japan, married a commoner and gave up her place in the royal family, including the lucrative allowances.
Life with her husband, Yoshiki Kuroda, an urban planner, was decidedly un-royal: she shopped for groceries, learned to drive and they shared a one-bedroom apartment. She still represents the imperial family around the world and attends functions and engagements.
Princess Mako
Princess Mako is the eldest daughter of Prince Fumihito and Princess Kiko, and the niece of Japanese Emperor Naruhito. In 2017, she announced her engagement to Kei Komuro, a commoner.
She is expected to formally lose her titles if she goes ahead with the marriage.
The wedding has been postponed until 2020 - the couple issued a statement announcing they were not ready for marriage because of their “immaturity”. The wedding is also delayed while Mr Komuro and his family complete a financial dispute of which the imperial family disapproves, her father, Crown Prince Akishino, said.
King Edward VIII
King Edward abdicated in 1936, leaving the throne for his younger brother, George VI, and changing the life of the young Princess Elizabeth forever.
Edward wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American commoner, and triggered a constitutional crisis when he proposed to her in 1936.
He abdicated so they could marry and lived much of the rest of his life in retirement in France.
Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor spent a good deal of his retirement partying, maintaining his status as an international celebrity and enjoying the allowance from the royal family. He met Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon at the White House and had an extensive social network. He died in 1972 and is buried in Windsor.
