UK royals Harry and Meghan step back from senior roles in surprise move

RELATIONSHIP WITH MEDIA SOURS

Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, a divorcee whose mother is African-American and father is white, married in May 2018 in a lavish ceremony in Windsor Castle, and at the time it was heralded as a sign of a more modern monarchy.

Last year Meghan gave birth to their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

But their relationship with the press turned sour as they struggled to deal with the intense scrutiny it put them under.

There have been negative stories about them, criticising their use of private jets while promoting environmental causes and the 2.4 million pound ($3.08 million) taxpayer-funded renovation of their new home.

Eventually the couple, whose titles are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, began legal action against some tabloid newspapers in October over phone-hacking and invasion of privacy.

Harry described the treatment of his wife as "bullying", and likened it to that of his mother Princess Diana before her death in a Paris car accident in 1997 when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi.

"I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair, and that is the part that is really hard to reconcile," a tearful Meghan said in a TV interview as she described the difficulty of being a new mother and dealing with incessant scrutiny.

Harry also admitted to disagreements with William, who is second-in-line to the throne.