Prince Harry has spoken of his 'great sadness' at leaving the Royal Family and said he and Meghan had 'no other option' than to quit senior royal duties - but vowed the couple are 'not just walking away'.
The Duke of Sussex was at a formal private dinner at the Ivy in Chelsea for Sentebale, the charity supporting young people affect by HIV and Aids that he founded in 2006, when he made the comments.
In an emotional speech, the 35-year-old said the royal couple had hoped to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth and his military associations, without any public funding.
Insisting that the UK would always be his home, he maintained that his wife, Meghan, 'upholds the same values as I do' and was 'excited' and 'hopeful' about playing a full royal role after their wedding.
But he said now 'there really was no other option' but to step back – a decision which, he said, was 'not one I made lightly'.
The duke paid a stirring tribute to his grandmother, calling her his 'commander-in-chief' and that he was 'incredibly grateful' to Her Majesty and the rest of his family for supporting him and Meghan.
He said: 'Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited. We were hopeful and we were here to serve. For those reasons it brings me great sadness that it has come to this.
'The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges and I know I haven't always gotten it right but as far as this goes there really was no other option.'
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