The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the UK to move abroad with their son Archie in early 2020, while also relinquishing their titles as working members of the Royal Family.
The extracts are from the book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Mr Low, where he claimed the “current set-up was not working for them, and they wanted to go and live in North America”.
Harry appeared to be “under the impression that they could just sort it out by email before he and Meghan got back to London on January 6” but the reply they received would “require a proper family conversation”.
The couple were also told the first date the family would be available was more than three weeks later on January 29, but it is unclear if this inflexibility was down to Charles who was due to travel to Davos, or if the reply came from private secretary Clive Alderton.
Regardless, from the point of view of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, “this went down incredibly badly” and fed into the narrative that they were not being taken seriously by the palace machinery, or by the rest of the family”.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly tried to instigate Megxit by email (Image: GETTY)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relinquished their titles as working members of the Royal Family (Image: GETTY)
Mr Low claimed Harry tried to accelerate the situation by arranging to meet with his grandmother, the Queen, before he left for Canada but that the message conveyed to him was that the monarch “had been confused about her diary, and was no longer available”.
The royal correspondent wrote: “Harry was incensed, because it was not true: the courtiers had got in the way, it seemed, because they saw the meeting with the Queen as an attempt to pick the Queen off before Harry started talks with the rest of the family.
“As one source put it, ‘There was a danger that a private conversation could be interpreted very differently by two people’.”
That was said to have made Harry “so cross that for a while he considered driving straight from the airport to Sandringham to drop in on the Queen unannounced”.
King Charles III with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Image: GETTY)
The couple announced their Megxit plans on January 8, while the Royal Family met five days later at Sandringham to discuss the situation.
Express.co.uk has contacted Buckingham Palace and Archewell for comment.
Just over a month later on February 19, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had confirmed to the Queen that they would not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.
Harry and Meghan confirmed to the Queen they wouldn’t be returning as working royals (Image: GETTY)
The Buckingham Palace statement read: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.
“Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.
“The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.
“While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”
Source: EXPRESS CO UK
