Prince Harry was allegedly “incensed” after he was denied a meeting with Queen Elizabeth regarding his Royal exit. Us Weekly reports that a new book — Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low — claims that in late 2019 Harry wanted to connect with his grandmother when he and his wife returned to England after the holidays. “Harry seemed 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, [2020],” read an excerpt of the book. “The reply they got, however, was that this would require a proper family conversation.”
The couple was allegedly told that they could not meet with The Queen until the end of January 2020. “This went down incredibly badly,” the excerpt adds. “It fed into the narrative that they were not being taken seriously by the palace machinery, or by the rest of the family.” Harry then tried to set up a meeting with his grandmother on his own, but this was apparently a fruitless endeavor. “The message was conveyed to him that the queen had been confused about her diary, and was no longer available,” Low writes. “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.”
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In early January 2020, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced plans to step back from their Royal duties, writing in an Instagram post, “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
They continued, “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
