By Katherine Tinsley
8:43am PST, Dec 24, 2025
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In
Prince Harry's tell-all book,
Spare, he revealed the special moment he shared with his team before leaving the royal fold.
"I went out into the hall. There was a tall, beautiful Christmas tree, still brightly lit. I stood before it, reminiscing," Harry wrote. "I removed two ornaments, soft little corgis, and brought them back to the staffers. One each. 'Souvenir of this strange mission,' I said."
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Shortly after the holidays,
Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle announced their departure from the royal family.
"After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," their statement read. "We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."
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Prince Harry shared that his team was nervous about his statement, as their livelihoods were at risk.
"Late in the day, as we crawled closer to a final draft, the staffers began to feel anxious," Harry said in his explosive memoir. "They worried aloud if their involvement would be discovered. If so, what would it mean for their jobs?"
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In his legal battle to reinstate his security privileges,
Prince Harry admitted he was reluctant to leave his role.
"It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. The U.K. is my home," the duke said in his witness statement.
The prince resides in Montecito, Calif., with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two kids,
Prince Archie and Princess
Lilibet.
