Meghan Markle, Prince Harry endured a ‘painful’ year during royal exit, insider says: They felt 'displaced'

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It’s been a year since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping back as senior members of the royal family – but freedom came with a price.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have since moved to Montecito in Santa Barbara, Calif. However, royal reporter Carolyn Durand claimed that the couple has felt isolated in their quest to lay down roots.

In 2020, Durand and co-writer Omid Scobie released the bombshell book "Finding Freedom," where numerous palace insiders came forward and detailed what led to the couple’s departure from royal life. 

"For Meghan, the challenges of enjoying motherhood while being constantly uprooted have been difficult," Durand wrote for Grazia on Tuesday. "Over the past year the family has lived in four homes – from Windsor to Vancouver for almost six months, then a speedy relocation to friend Tyler Perry’s Hollywood Hills property to beat the pandemic travel ban in March, before laying more permanent roots at their nine-bedroom home Montecito, near Santa Barbara."

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The Duchess of Sussex revealed she had a miscarriage in July 2020. Meghan described the experience in an opinion piece in the New York Times. She wrote: "I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second." The former Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry have a son, Archie, born in 2019.  (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Despite the lavish new home, a friend of Markle, 39, claimed the couple has been feeling lonesome being far away from loved ones.

"Their nanny moved back to the U.K. when they moved to LA because of the pandemic and restrictions left them feeling quite alone," Durand wrote. "Each move made them feel more displaced."

However, Durand pointed out that the couple is using their time apart from family in the U.K. to heal old wounds.

"Prince Charles’ battles with coronavirus brought Harry and his father closer together, as the Duke regularly checked in over the phone and video calls," wrote Durand. "And the Christmas holidays saw the Sussexes exchange gifts and virtual messages with all family members, including the Queen and Prince Philip."

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'Finding Freedom' author Carolyn Durand told Grazia that Prince Harry has kept in close contact with his father Prince Charles. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty)

Despite the challenges Markle and Harry, 36, faced, sources insist the couple are eager to start a new life with their son Archie, 1, and be financially independent.

Harry and Markle are focusing on several passion projects, including their new Archewell Foundation, as well as a Spotify podcast named Archewell Audio. They released their first episode shortly before New Year’s Day.

In addition, the duo has partnered with Netflix to create an animated series about inspiring women from around the world, as well as "a progressive nature series conceptualized by Prince Harry."

"They really haven’t looked back," said Scobie. "While the door was left open by the Queen, Harry and Meghan have carved out an impressive start to what will be their new family legacy. When their roles came to an end they started from scratch, and in just nine months since then they have navigated a pandemic and set up their nonprofit [organization]. This is only the start."

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle currently reside in California with their son Archie, 1. (Photo by Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images))

"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," he shared. "But it’s taken a lot of work to get here. The journey has been painful."