Queen Elizabeth was deeply saddened by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s choice to step back from their royal duties in 2020, viewing it as a missed opportunity, a royal author reveals. Back in 2016, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made headlines worldwide by announcing their decision to distance themselves from the Royal Family and move to the United States.

Although the Palace publicly supported Harry and Meghan’s move, author Robert Hardman discloses that behind closed doors, the late Queen was devastated by her grandson’s actions. In his recently published book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, Hardman recounts how Her Majesty felt that Harry and Meghan had been given everything they could desire but were determined to walk away from it all, severing ties with the Royal Family.

According to Hardman, the Queen was “enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity, but she acted decisively.” This led to the decision at the Sandringham Summit that Harry would not be able to have a part-time role within the Firm.

Subsequently, Harry, Meghan, and their son Archie left the UK to start a new life in the US. Hardman notes that despite giving the couple time to reconsider, the Queen privately acknowledged that she doubted they would reverse their decision because “they took the dogs.”

Following the unprecedented departure from the Royal Family, Hardman describes how the Queen remained composed and practical while some Palace officials struggled to maintain normalcy amidst the significant change.

Hardman also highlights the Queen’s affection for her grandson Harry, noting her natural empathy towards him as the spare to the heir, Prince William. He explains that the Queen had a similar concern for her son, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and felt that both second-born sons had less defined roles compared to their elder siblings.

Since their exit from royal duties in 2020, Harry and Meghan have distanced themselves further from the Royal Family, with Harry having limited interactions with his father, King Charles, as they strive to repair their relationship. The only occasion that brought the fractured family together was the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022, where Harry and Meghan returned to the UK to pay their respects.