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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate 2nd anniversary after eventful year

It's been a year of radical change for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
/ Source: TODAY

Happy second anniversary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex!

A source close to Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle told TODAY the couple plans to spend the day together as a family.

Prince Harry Marries Ms. Meghan Markle - Windsor Castle
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex outside St George's Chapel in Windsor on their wedding day, May 19, 2018 .WPA Pool / Getty Images

The royal couple celebrated the milestone Tuesday after a transformative year in which they became first-time parents, withdrew from their duties as senior members of the royal family and moved to a new home.

Their second year as a married couple began with adjusting to life with their baby son, Archie, who was born 13 days before their anniversary and recently celebrated his first birthday.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, then dropped a bombshell in January when they announced they planned to take a "step back" from their royal duties.

The announcement led to a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family that resulted in changes for the couple after the queen was reportedly "blindsided" by their announcement.

An agreement hashed out by the royal family ended with Harry and Meghan no longer being able to use their "royal highness" titles or receive public funds for royal duties.

Harry broke his silence about the move in late January, speaking about the remorse he felt in stepping back as a senior member of the royal family while defending his wife.

"Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hopeful and we were here to serve,'' he said during a speech at a charity event. "For those reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this."

At the time of the split, Meghan and Archie were residing in a home in Canada while Harry remained in London to work out the details with his family.

The couple also appeared to have hinted at turbulence in the royal family in interviews with London's ITV during a trip to southern Africa last October.

The Duchess of Sussex revealed that she had been struggling under the intense media spotlight during her pregnancy and then as a new mother while also saying that "not many people have asked if I'm OK."

She was subsequently asked if that meant she really was not OK and that it had been a struggle.

"Yes," she replied.

She also noted she tried to adopt a "British sensibility of a stiff upper lip" in face of tabloid scrutiny but found it to be internally "damaging."

During the same Africa trip, Harry also addressed tensions with his older brother, Prince William, by saying they are on "different paths" right now. The brothers later denied a report by a London newspaper about alleged bullying behavior by William as "offensive."

The duke and duchess officially wrapped up their duties as senior royals at the end of March.

They reunited with William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in their final official appearance as senior members of the royal family at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London. The two couples barely exchanged a few words during the ceremony.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William and Kate Middleton
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared to maintain an icy distance at Westminster Abbey in Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle's final engagement as senior members of the British royal family.Phil Harris / Getty Images

The reunion came two days after Harry and Meghan stepped out in red, receiving a standing ovation when they attended the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Harry also hung out with rock superstar Jon Bon Jovi in his final days as a working member of the royal family to raise some money for his Invictus Games for wounded military veterans.

There also have been more subtle changes. Last year, the duo shared previously unseen wedding photos for their first anniversary on their Sussex Royal Instagram account, but they stopped using the account in March after stepping back from the royal family.

With their break from the royal family now behind them, the couple has moved from Canada to Los Angeles, where they volunteered with a nonprofit last month to deliver meals to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

They also have been sharing glimpses of their life with Archie during quarantine.

"There’s a hell of a lot of positives that are happening at the same time and being able to have family time — so much family time — that you almost think, ‘Do I feel guilty for having so much family time?'" Harry said during a video call for a charity on Easter. "You’ve got to celebrate those moments where you are just on the floor rolling around in hysterics.

"Inevitably, half an hour later, maybe a day later, there’s going to be something that you have to deal with, and there’s no way you can run away from it."