Vancouver Island may have been catalyst for Harry and Meghan's withdrawal from Royal Family

Prince Harry released his in-depth memoir "Spare" on Tuesday, and Vancouver Island plays a memorable role in the tale.

Harry, Meghan and son Archie made local waves when they stayed at a home in North Saanich, B.C., in late 2019.

The family was spotted several times around Horth Hill Regional Park and even volunteered to help a local couple take a picture while hiking.

In his memoir, Harry describes the "taste of freedom" the family felt while staying on Vancouver Island.

"From morning to night we didn't have to give a thought to being ambushed," he wrote. "The house was right on the edge of a sparkling green forest, with big gardens where Archie and the dogs could play, and it was nearly surrounded by the clean, cold sea."

"Best of all, no one knew we were there. We hiked, we kayaked, we played – in peace," he wrote.

Harry goes on to say that the first time the couple needed groceries, they were concerned their cover would be broken.

"We ventured out timidly, drove down the road into the nearest village, walked along the pavement like people in a horror movie. Where will the attack come from? Which direction?" he said.

"But it didn't happen. People didn't freak. They didn't stare. They didn't reach for their iPhones," he wrote. "Everyone knew, or sensed, that we were going through something."

Harry writes that the peace and quiet lasted about six weeks before their address was shared by British tabloid the Daily Mail.

Soon after, the family would leave the island, but the vacation was the start of the idea that the family might want to find a quiet place to live regularly.

"Brief as it was, that taste of freedom had got us thinking. What if life could be like that all the time?" writes Harry.

The family considered living in Canada, particularly in Vancouver where Meghan had connections.

At the same time, the family was looking to move away from royal duties, and in January 2020 Harry and Meghan made the official announcement that they would be stepping away from most royal duties and become financially independent.

Soon after, the Royal Family pulled its security support for the couple, a move Harry says was surprising.

The federal government also told CTV News at the time that RCMP would no longer be providing security services for the family once they stepped back from most royal duties, to coincide with the British government.

A Canadian taxpayers advocacy group said at the time that the couple's stay in Canada between November 2019 and January 2020 cost Canadian taxpayers about $56,000.

The family would eventually settle in a private home in California.