Late Queen Elizabeth was ‘enormously upset and terribly sad’ over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s determination | UNW

A royal expert has revealed why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the late Queen Elizabeth “enormously upset and terribly sad”.

In a new book titled Elizabeth II: In Private, In Public — The Inside Story, royal author Robert Hardman says that despite having “everything handed to them”, Harry and Meghan were still adamant about leaving the royal family.

“The Queen always adored Harry,” Hardman told The Telegraph, “She had an instinctive sympathy for the spare.

“And as a mother and grandmother, she was conscious that being second sons, both Andrew and Harry had far less clearly defined roles than their firstborn siblings, and that concerned her,” he said.

When Prince Harry brought home American actress Meghan Markle, Hardman stressed that the late Queen was nothing but kind to her.

“The Queen invited Meghan on the royal train on a solo trip together, which was a rare honour for new family members, and gifted her a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings to make her feel special,” Hardman said.

However, when Prince Harry and Meghan announced they would be stepping back from royal duties in January 2020, the Queen was reportedly devastated.

According to Hardman, the Queen thought “Harry and Meghan had everything handed to them but wanted to throw it all away.”

“She was enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity, but she acted decisively,” he added.

Hardman said that despite giving the Duke and Duchess a cooling-off period, the Queen conceded that the pair wouldn’t change their minds because “they took the dogs”.

“I can quite easily imagine the Queen saying it,” Hardman said. “She had a very direct manner, possibly because there was a tremendous flapping around her. While other people would be getting into a complete stew, she would keep calm and was always terribly practical.”