In January, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced in an Instagram post that they would take a "step back" from the royal family.
The couple wrote they would split their time between the United Kingdom and North America and that they planned to be financially independent.
This announcement was released after months of reports that the couple was actively distancing themselves from the monarchy, and these rumors seemed to get even stronger after they spent Christmas in Canada with their son, Archie, instead of with the rest of the royal family.
Following this announcement, the queen seemed to imply she didn't approve of the couple's decision.
A statement from the royal communications office obtained by Insider reads, "Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through."
On the couple's website, the pair also state that they will be changing their relationship with the media going forward.
This doesn't come as a surprise since months earlier, in October 2019, the couple spoke out against the British tabloid the Daily Mail, which published excerpts from a private letter that Markle had written to her father that year.
At the time, Prince Harry released a statement saying that the publication "strategically omitted select paragraphs" from the letter to manipulate its readers.
The Daily Mail previously issued a statement to Insider that denied that "the Duchess's letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning."
And although it's quite rare for the royal family to pursue legal action against media outlets, both Markle and Prince Harry issued legal proceedings against British tabloid owners in October 2019, filing claims that consist of things like misuse of private information.
In addition, Markle is a divorcée and an American, which has previously been viewed as scandalous or unfavorable in royal relationships from the past.
That said, she reportedly received the royal family's blessing to marry Prince Harry anyway — and is not the first divorcée nor the first American to marry into the royal family.