New reports coming in about Buckingham Palace are claiming that Prince Harry openly “defied” his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, by announcing his shock departure from the royal family. According to multiple sources, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle only gave the royal family a 10-minute heads-up before posting their decision to Instagram, leaving family members — including Prince Charles and Prince William — furious.
According to The Sun , when Prince Harry had broached the topic of leaving his position as a full-time royal, the queen gave him “crystal-clear” instructions that he should not make announcements without clearing it first through Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry had reportedly been contacting his father, Prince Charles, since Christmas with his proposal to spend more time in North America and potentially step back from royal duties, even sending a draft proposal after New Year’s. However, the redheaded prince was told that more time was needed to come up with a seamless solution.
When Harry finally returned to the United Kingdom, he purportedly requested an immediate meeting with the queen at Sandringham. The request was supposedly denied and came with the message that Prince Harry should speak to Prince Charles about his plans in detail before coming to the queen.
Reportedly, Prince Harry nevertheless decided to make the announcement despite orders from his grandmother and monarch.
As a result, the queen is said to be “deeply upset” with the couple.
“Their statement was not cleared with anyone. It breaks all protocol. This is a declaration of war on the family,” said one source.
“There is fury over how they’ve done this without any thought for the implications for the institution… The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are incandescent with rage.”
“Courtiers can’t believe it. There are so many unanswered questions, but they’ve just up and done it without a thought for anyone else,” the insider added.
Part of the haste of the announcement was due to the fact that The Sun had an inside scoop as to the couple’s plans, and Harry and Meghan wanted to get ahead of the breaking story.
“Harry and Meghan wanted it their way or the highway. So they’ve gone and exiled themselves from the Royal Family. It’s extraordinary,” the source concluded.
The Daily Mail echoed similar claims, with their source claiming that Prince Harry had hit the “nuclear button” on his royal career.
Accordingly, though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have claimed they still want to support the monarchy, many royal fans are wondering just how that will play out considering the present rocky state of affairs.
The latest news includes how the pair is planning a move to Los Angeles , which is reportedly another move that will likely not sit well with Buckingham Palace.