In a move that is definitely reminiscent of his mother, Princess Diana, Prince Harry has reportedly let go of the team of lawyers he's shared with the rest of the royal family since he was a teenager. Many royal insiders are seeing this as further evidence that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have no intention to return to the royal family when their decision to step back is up for review.
Harry has been represented by Harbottle & Lewis since he was a teenager, and the legal team has definitely gotten him out of a few scrapes over the years. Harry is reportedly so close to the members of the law firm that he even asked one of its senior partners, Gerrard Tyrrell, to direct the Sussex Royal charity that he and Meghan planned.
However, all of that has changed. Harbottle & Lewis was also representing Harry and Meghan's upcoming project, Archewell, but a rival legal team is now covering the organization.
Harry and Meghan appear to have filed the paperwork last week to end their services with Harbottle & Lewis. A royal insider has noted, "It would appear to demonstrate that they have no intention of coming back. The choice of lawyers is of great importance to the Royal Household and Gerrard was a useful neutral link man between the Sussexes and the Palace."
And sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have said this move is because the couple wants to continue to chart their own path. "They wanted to instruct their own lawyers, not those also used by the Royal Family. They are on an independent path." In that respect, the switch makes sense. Harry and Meghan have been clear from the beginning that they would prefer to be allowed to pursue their own new roles in the family.
There's also precedent for this kind of shift away. Princess Diana opted to go outside the usual team when she and Prince Charles entered into divorce proceedings, and it worked out pretty well for her. Instead of hiring someone friendly with the Crown, Diana chose to work with Anthony Julius.
In the settlement, Princess Diana received a one-time lump-sum payment instead of regular alimony. She also retained access to her apartment at Kensington Palace, and she was still allowed to use the family's jets and "to use the state apartments at St. James's Palace for entertaining."
Prince Charles and Princess Diana were also given "equal access" to their children, who were 14 and 11 at the time of the divorce. Both boys attended boarding school, and the custody agreement dictated that they would alternate holidays with each parent when they weren't away at school.
Meghan Markle also never hired Harbottle & Lewis for her own various lawsuits, including her current suit against the Mail on Sunday. Instead, she has been working with a firm called Schillings. This is also the same firm that sent out a letter to British news outlets that allegedly had photographers hidden in the bushes near the home that Harry and Meghan shared in Canada.
The letter states, "There are serious safety concerns about how the paparazzi are driving and the risk to life they pose" and also notes that both Harry and Meghan have been "alarmed" by the paparazzi presence in their lives. While the couple did not pursue legal action against the outlets for this particular instance, they have each filed lawsuits against various publications before and since.
Meghan is currently in a legal battle with the Mail on Sunday. The duchess filed the suit alleging "misuse of private information, infringement of copyright, and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018" owing to the publication of parts of a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle.
Harry has also spoken out about how he and Meghan have been treated by the press and how it impacts the two of them. "I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces. I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mom."
The move to step away from the legal team that the rest of the royal family uses also indicates that Harry and Meghan both understand they will need to work outside of the safety net of the royal family. It has seemed that this has been part of their plan the entire time, but many have wondered what kind of work Harry will pursue.
