The Queen’s heartbreaking reaction to news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down as senior royals has been revealed in the new book, The Royals, written by Katie Nicholl.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced at the start of 2020 that they would step down as senior royals. A source close to Her Majesty says she was very hurt by this decision.
The couple were allowed to leave the “Firm”, but were unable to use their Royal Highness titles in their quest to become financially independent.
At the time, the Queen thanked the couple for their “dedicated” work, adding: “It is the hope of my whole family that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.”
However, the monarch’s (alleged) true feelings have been revealed in this new post. An excerpt published in Vanity Fair magazine claims that Queen Elizabeth II told a close friend that she was “exhausted” by the decision.
This source says: “She was very hurt and said to me, ‘I don’t know, I don’t care and I don’t want to think about it anymore.’
He goes on to say that the 96-year-old monarch has seen very little of her great-grandchildren Archie and Lilibet, the children of the former American actress and Prince Harry.