Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Friends Say They're "Happier Than Ever" After a "Painful" Year

• Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (opens in new tab) are reportedly "happier than ever," one year after announcing their plans to step down as senior royals.
• "It’s taken a lot of work to get here. The journey has been painful," Finding Freedom (opens in new tab) author Omid Scobie (opens in new tab) shared.
• "A year ago they set out to create a better life for themselves and their family, one that they could flourish in while still carrying out work that has social impact. They’ve now achieved that," Scobie continued.

Twelve months after announcing their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are "happier than ever," according to friends of the couple. 2020 was an acutely challenging year for the Sussexes: As the COVID-19 pandemic raged and anti-Black racism and police brutality came under a renewed global spotlight, Meghan also suffered a miscarriage, while the couple navigated a new life in the US after leaving their royal lives in the UK. But Meghan and Harry entered 2021 with "hope and excitement about the road ahead," according to a new report in Grazia (opens in new tab) by Finding Freedom co-author Carolyn Durand.

Omid Scobie, fellow co-author of Finding Freedom, told Durand, "To be at the point they are at now, having set up an empire and a charity in just over nine months, shows just how hard they have worked to make this transition a success." Scobie continued, "But it’s taken a lot of work to get here. The journey has been painful."

"We’ve heard so much about the work they are doing behind the scenes and this year we will get to see that work in action," Scobie said, referencing upcoming Archewell Foundation projects the Sussexes will launch in 2021. Meghan and Harry's first Netflix projects are also expected to debut this year, according to Durand, including "an animated series about inspiring women from around the world and a progressive nature series conceptualised by Prince Harry."

Scobie told Grazia that Meghan and Harry have achieved the goals they set in motion last January. "A year ago they set out to create a better life for themselves and their family, one that they could flourish in while still carrying out work that has social impact," the royal author said. "They’ve now achieved that and friends say they are happier than ever."