The Queen was “hurt” and “exhausted’ by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to quit royal life and the ensuing drama they caused.
The late monarch — who died at age 96 on Sept. 8 — reportedly confided to a friend that “she was exhausted by the turmoil of their decision,” writes royal scribe, Katie Nicholl in her upcoming book, “The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown,” via Vanity Fair.
“She was very hurt” the confidante claimed, adding that the Queen lamented, “I don’t know, I don’t care, and I don’t want to think about it anymore.”
Nicholl also noted that “it was a source of sadness” to the Queen “that she got to see so little of Archie and Lilibet and that Harry and Meghan were not able to join her for a weekend at Balmoral in August, when the queen used to host a ‘sleepover’ for all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
The monarch ended up seeing Archie, 3, and her namesake, Lilibet, 1, a handful of times. Harry and Markle took their children to briefly meet the Queen when they landed in London ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
Two days later the Sussexes and their children spent more time with the Queen at Windsor Castle, the day before Lili’s first birthday.
After the Queen’s passing, Harry released a heartfelt statement expressing happiness that she got to hug her “beloved great-grandchildren.”
“Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings — from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my commander-in-chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren,” he wrote.
“I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed,” he concluded.
After hinting in interviews at their unhappiness, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they were opting out of royal life and initially floated the idea of being part-time royals, which the Queen firmly nixed.
