Remember this?

The nation welcoming Prince Harry's new wife into the heart of it.

But two years in and they want out, and the new arrangements are now clear.

Harry and Megan will no longer represent the queen, but she said they will always be much loved members of her family.

Now this is far from an abdication, but it has got the nation talking.

There are those whose sympathies lie with the queen and the institution of the monarchy itself.

There are those whose sympathies lie, of course, with Harry and Meghan, and there are others who are wondering, Why should I care?

Well, look beyond the palace gates and the national psycho drama and see a very human story.

The prime minister wishing them all well.

I think the whole country will want t join in wishing them the very best for you, Dr said.

Before that, I was sure that the the royal family has been around a very long time.

We'll find a way forward, and I'm sure it will, but one step forward and then it's back to the soap opera.

Megan's estranged father, who, of course, never made it to the wedding and may yet testify against her in her legal case against the newspaper, was interviewed shortly before last night.

Deal.

Don't expect a new family photo shoots any time soon.

This is like one of the greatest long, long living institutions ever.

Uh, they're destroying it.

They're keeping their making it shabby.

They're turning into a Wal Mart with a crown on it.

Now it's not.

It's something that's ridiculously shouldn't be doing this that Harry has to give up his military titles will sting him.

But there are serious, wider questions to who will pay for their security.

How will their charities be affected?

One of the implications for other Royals who may also want to step back.

And how will they earn a living?

The danger for the palace?

The worry for the palace is that they will go into commercial activity that looks a bit tacky, you know, Meghan dolls or fashion shoots, and the problem for the palace about that is that royal family is all about image.

They're all about the royal brand.

And if Harry and Meghan go and do things in Los Angeles or in America that look a bit tacky that will dilute the role brand and weaken the monarchy as a whole.

I think it will prompt the British public to reevaluate what the monarchy stands for, what members of the royal family do, the way they do it, Um, and you know British opinion as to how much freedom that is.

The real family should be allowed to have their human beings, after all.

And from what we've seen, a lot of the British public support Harry Megan's decision to go off and do something a little bit different.

A new kind of life now beckons, shuffling between Canada, the states and the UK without the support of the British taxpayer, but with the blessing of the queen.

Well, joining me now, the historian author professor Kate Williams, Now that we know what's happening, how much of this is actually worthy of academic study, how much we'll make it into the history books.

I didn't think that in 100 years time the royal historians that historians are going to be looking at this moment as a seismic moment for the royal family because really the royal family.

It has eggs.

The queen expanded the royal family very greatly when she came to the early 19 fifties.

Before that minor worlds did they little.

She expanded it.

It was the firm on It was really given, sold to us as one big, happy family.

What We've seen the romantic dramas behind the scenes.

And now this is a young couple saying, Actually, with only two years after the wedding, the Royal Goldfish Bowl is too much.

The pressure is too much, and it's really, I think it's suggesting that we need a new way forward for quite a lot of the members of the monarchy.

What what asked to the Yes, it's a gilded cage.

Yes, says wealth and privilege beyond anything anyone could ever imagine.

But this scrutiny, the press intrusion, the struggle that you have.

It's clearly being too much for this couple, and they've Bean, they felt is untenable to continue.

When you look at the side of the deal, you know, they step away from being senior roles.

They stopped representing the queen on DSO.

They stop using HR rates.

They stop getting public money.

Prince Harry loses his military titles.

Yet we saw Prince Andrew today.

There's also stepped back from Royal.

Juicy is because of the controversy surrounding his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and we should say he denies any wrongdoing to do with that.

Yeah, he keeps it all.

Well, this is a really interesting question.

This is what I think a lot of has been asking because the statement said that Harry and Megan were keeping their H I've aged title but not using it because they were no longer working.

Royal's on, of course, we all say, What about the other non working?

Royal's chief among them is Prince Andrew.

He has stepped back for, we were told, the foreseeable future, given up all his patronage is Harry and Meghan are keeping their private patronage, and we probably will see how your Megan's still with their charity, is happy with the Invictus games.

So what about Andrew's given up everything, why, and stepped back?

Why is he still Your Royal Highness?

And I think this is a really crucial question.

Andi, certainly as you say on Jews, denied everything unfinished business.

But But there was a some point B treatment of Megan.

Last year was so intense and so unfair.

They seem to be some in our society more concerned about the color of Megan's nail varnish.

Then they were about the fact that Andrew had he's links Thio, this convicted paedophile.

Now, a week ago, you were here saying you thought that they could probably get what they wanted.

They could have this sort of thing.

Rolande the queen has clearly said, No, you can't.

Well, I have to say they clearly wanted 1/2 in half out roll.

That's what the website and the statement suggested when they put it out on that bombshell Wednesday it according to seven, that's what we all expected.

But clearly the queen, although it was of a warm statement, has made her decision that it's you're all the way out, and I think it would be very hard for Harry to lose his war patch images.

Of course, they would have independence.

But I do think that you know, the war family have lost two superstars.

These two young people had a lot of star power.

They attracted a demographic that doesn't normally come into the world family, young, diverse, the commonwealth and I think a lot of people are going to be incredibly disappointed.

This is a a big moment for Britain to look at itself and say, What have we done?

The first woman of color to marry into the royal family.

And she's been essentially chased out K.

Williams.

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.