The Queen Elizabeth, who has passed away, was deeply saddened by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s choice to step back from their royal responsibilities in 2020, viewing it as a missed opportunity, as per a royal author. Back in 2016, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made headlines globally by announcing their intention to distance themselves from the Royal Family and move to the United States.
Although the Palace publicly supported Harry and Meghan’s decision at the time, royal author Robert Hardman revealed that behind closed doors, the late Queen was devastated by her grandson’s actions. In his recent book titled “Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story,” released to coincide with the late monarch’s centenary on April 21, Hardman shared the Queen’s belief that Harry and Meghan had been provided with everything they could desire, yet chose to abandon it all to separate themselves from the Royal Family.
Hardman wrote: “She was enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity, but she acted decisively.” This decisiveness was evident at the Sandringham Summit, where the Queen determined that Harry would not have a half-in, half-out role within the Firm.
Ultimately, Harry, Meghan, and their son Archie decided to leave their royal roles behind and start anew in the U.S. Despite granting the couple a period to reconsider, the Queen privately acknowledged that she doubted they would change their minds as “they took the dogs.”
Following their departure from the Firm, the Queen remained composed and practical, while some Palace officials were uncertain about maintaining the status quo during such a significant change. Hardman noted that the late Queen always cherished her grandson Harry and had a natural compassion for him as the spare to his older brother and heir to the throne, Prince William.
The royal expert mentioned that the Queen similarly sympathized with her son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as both Andrew and Harry, being second sons, had less defined roles than their firstborn siblings, which troubled her.
Since leaving the Royal Family in 2020, Harry and Meghan have drifted further apart from the royal circle, with the Duke of Sussex meeting his father, King Charles, only a few times as they strive to mend their relationship. One instance that brought the divided royals together was the passing of the late Queen in September 2022, prompting Harry and Meghan to travel to the UK to mourn her. Harry stood alongside his brother and father at the funeral, marking Meghan’s final visit to the UK.