When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were stepping back as working royals in 2020, the world reacted with dismay, and speculation immediately turned to how the rest of the Royal Family truly felt about the decision. Days later, Queen Elizabeth issued a personal message declaring that Harry, Meghan and their son Archie “will always be much loved members of my family.”It has since been suggested, however, that the late Queen was privately concerned about what the Sussexes would do once they had stepped away from royal duties, and that her blessing came with a specific condition attached.
What the Queen reportedly told Prince Harry
Writing in the latest issue of Woman, royal correspondent Duncan Larcombe alleges that Queen Elizabeth set out clear terms for Harry and Meghan’s departure. “Her Majesty made it clear to Harry that he and Meghan would leave with her blessing as long as they understood leaving royal life meant exactly that,” he wrote.
Working royals typically coordinate their engagements carefully to avoid clashes, but it remains unclear whether any such communication continues between the family and the Sussexes since their departure. The proximity of these visits has inevitably drawn direct comparisons, lending weight to the idea that the late Queen’s concerns about the institution’s work being overshadowed may have been well founded.
Queen Elizabeth’s legacy of service
The Queen’s dedication to the monarchy and the Commonwealth was widely regarded as one of her defining traits something Prince Harry himself acknowledged following her death in 2022. “In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen and in mourning her loss, we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty,” he said in a statement at the time. Go to Source
