Needless to say, the year started with big news for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. While the proclamation was not out-of-the-blue — indeed, the pair had been very open about their uneasy relationship with the press, which had been particularly ruthless in their treatment of Markle — it was widely reported that Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Prince William were all caught off guard and not terribly happy with the move.

Within days of the announcement, the queen called a family meeting at her palace in Norfolk, dubbed the "Sandringham Summit" to discuss, exactly, what "stepping back" meant and what it would like. On Jan. 18, her Majesty issued a statement supporting the pair's decision to "start building a happy and peaceful new life."

While the separation was official, not every detail had been ironed out or made public. But in February, the public did learn that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's last day as "working royals" would be March 31. The couple's spokesperson made clear that the two would remain dedicated to their charitable work, including supporting the welfare of servicemen and women, HIV, women's empowerment, conservation, and gender equality and education.

With an end in site, every official event had extra weight and meaning. They found themselves in an unofficial "Farewell Tour," including the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey (and an awkward reunion with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge).

But March offered another surprise from the couple — though it was widely assumed that the two would settle in Canada, where they'd been staying before their January return to the U.K., on March 15 the two boarded Tyler Perry's private jet in Canada and flew to L.A.

The pair came to America just in time to really enjoy the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Still, they were able to move forward and announced the creation of their new charitable foundation: Archewell, named both for their son and for the Greek word "arche" meaning "source of action." In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the two discussed the organization as an educational, multimedia endeavor that would include emotional support groups and a wellbeing website.

May was a quiet month for the couple (again, due in no small part, we can guess, to the pandemic) but it was nevertheless momentous. On May 6, they celebrated Archie's first birthday, complete with a smash cake and an adorable video of Markle reading to the sweet toddler. May 19 marked their second wedding anniversary, which they celebrated quietly.

With graduation ceremonies going virtual on account of COVID-19, Markle delivered a powerful graduation speech to her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. The event followed weeks of protests across the country called for justice for the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people who died at the hands of police.

“I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that it would get picked apart," she admitted to graduates. "And I realized the only wrong thing to say is nothing. Because George Floyd’s life mattered and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered, and Philando Castille’s life mattered and Tamir Rice’s life mattered, and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know.”

In spite of directly addressing the tragedies, she offered hope to the young women of Immaculate Heart. "You are going to lead with love, you are going to lead with compassion, you are going to use your voice."

After living in temporary housing for months, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to a permanent residence in Santa Barbara, less than 100 miles north of Los Angeles. The move felt like an important one in their fresh start, but we know now that the month was also marked by tragedy when Markle suffered a miscarriage.

August showed the couple's continued commitment to charitable causes and activism. The two were seen volunteering with Baby2Baby handing out school supplies in Los Angeles. Markle also appeared in conversation with feminist icon Gloria Steinem for the Makers series, discussing voting and representation.

In an important step toward their financial independence from the British monarchy, Markle and Prince Harry announced a deal with Netflix to create content that "informs but gives hope." Though the exact numbers were not disclosed at the time, later reports, including from Newsweek, suggest approximately $150 million.

The couple observed Remembrance Sunday, a commemorative day in the UK to honor the contributions of servicemen and women throughout Britain and the Commonwealth during the World Wars and later military conflicts. Though they did not travel to England for the event, they laid wreaths at the graves of two commonwealth soldiers in Los Angeles.

In November, Markle published an opinion piece — "The Losses We Share" — in The New York Times in which she revealed her July miscarriage. The intimate confession, including Markle and Prince Harry crying together, trying to imagine "how we’d heal,” was seen as a brave response to what is still considered a social taboo as well as a departure from royal norms, which zealously guard such personal moments.

The Sussexes remained in California for the holidays, their second Christmas away from England (they were in Canada last year). They also revealed a deal with Spotify to produce and host podcasts under their production company, Archewell Audio.

On Dec. 29, they launched their first podcast — a holiday special featuring Tyler Perry, Naomi Osaka, James Corden, Stacey Abrams, Elton John, and a very special New Year's greeting from the (newly verbal) Baby Archie.