‘Maverick’ Prince Harry ‘let down late Queen’ amid bold move with Meghan Markle – expert

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world when they announced they wanted to quit their roles as senior working royals – but according to a royal expert, the Sussexes were also left surprised by the late Queen’s reaction

The late Queen viewed Prince Harry as a ‘maverick’ who had ‘let her down’ when he dramatically announced he wanted to leave royal life, according to a royal author.

It was more than four years ago that Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world when they revealed they wanted to “carve out a progressive new role” by working for the monarchy as well as splitting their time between the UK and the US. Ultimately it led to the Sandringham Summit, where things came to a head between Harry and his family, including his grandmother the late Queen, the now King Charles and Prince William.

But it was ruled the Sussexes could not have a “half-in, half out” role within the Firm and they ultimately decided to up sticks completely from the UK and move across the Atlantic. They weren’t allowed to use their HRH statuses and ultimately quit royal life completely.

And in his new book Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, author Robert Jobson writes that Harry had been ‘surprised’ by his family. In an extract in the Mail On Sunday, the author says: “They wrongly assumed the late Queen would back them. Even Harry, who was expecting some kickback from his family, was surprised at how unforgiving they were. It was easy for him to blame his father and brother, but what happened was the Queen’s decision, albeit strongly supported by Charles and William.

“She knew instinctively that for the sake of the monarchy, there couldn’t be any ambiguity over its role and function or financial structure. As far as she was concerned, you were either working for the Firm fully or not – and in her role as monarch, she viewed Harry as a maverick who’d let her down.”

The claims come after Harry, speaking in the controversial Netflix series Harry & Meghan about the Sandringham Summit, sid that William “screamed and shouted” at him, accused his father, King Charles, of saying things that “simply weren’t true” and said the late Queen “sat there and took it all in”.

He claimed: “I went in with the same proposal that we’d already made publicly, but once I got there I was given five options – one being all in, no change, five being all out. I chose option three in the meeting – half in, half out. Have our own jobs but also work in support of the Queen.

“It became very clear very quickly that goal was not up for discussion or debate. It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things that just simply weren’t true. And my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and take it all in. But you have to understand that, from the family’s perspective, especially from hers, there are ways of doing things and her ultimate, sort of, mission, goal/responsibility is the institution.”

In the same show, Harry also rubbished claims he “blindsided” his late grandmother with his statement about quitting The Firm. He alleged he had discussed proposals to move to New Zealand, South Africa and Canada for months before they announced their plans. He said a letter he wrote to his father about the Canada move was leaked to the press.

However, there is no mention in Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare of William “screaming and shouting” or of him being “terrified”. Harry only says his brother “complained about a story in the morning papers suggesting that he was the reason we were leaving”.

In the same section of Spare, Harry recounts talking with his brother in Sandringham’s gardens and says “he was braced for a lecture”. But he adds that it didn’t come and that “Willy was subdued. He wanted to listen. For the first time in a long time my brother heard me out, and I was so grateful”.