Why Queen Elizabeth felt Prince Harry ‘let her down’ with his royal exit

Although she personally loves Harry, the Queen is said to have rejected any “half and half” arrangement, insisting the couple give up HRH titles, patronages and public funding.

The decision follows the Sandringham summit in 2020. Prince Harry later said he felt hurt by the response, while the couple revisited family tensions and conflicts in their Netflix documentary.

Before the late queen’s death, she faced one of her monarchy’s most complex personal and constitutional challenges: how to respond to Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from senior royal duties.

While Elizabeth reportedly had a deep affection for Harry as a grandson, admiring the “fun side of his character”, those close to him suggest that her perspective as sovereign was far less forgiving.

Royal author Robert Jobson revealed she saw Harry as a “maverick who let her down”, describing his departure as a significant lost opportunity.

In her book “Catherine: The Biography,” Jobson says the queen believed Harry and Meghan had enormous potential within the institution, but “the idea of ​​the couple making millions by profiting from their royal titles and status was abhorrent to her.”

According to Jobson, Elizabeth’s position was unequivocal: “Either you worked fully for the firm or you didn’t.” There was no halfway house.

When the Sussexes announced their intention to leave royal life in early 2020 and move to North America, the Queen did not block their decision, but she reportedly insisted on firm consequences.

These included abandoning royal patronages, abandoning the use of HRH titles and completely abandoning the “Sussex Royal” brand.

These terms were finalized following the now infamous Sandringham meeting in January 2020, later dubbed the “Sandringham Summit”.

The private discussion, attended by the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry, lasted about 90 minutes and focused on how to deal with what has become known as “Megxit.” Although the details of the meeting have never been fully disclosed, it marked a turning point for the family.

Shortly after, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry and Meghan would no longer use their HRH titles and would stop working as working royals.

Harry lost his honorary military roles and his post as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, while the couple agreed to forgo public funding and repay the £2.4million spent on renovating Frogmore Cottage.

Royal biographer Tom Bower later suggested that the Sussexes’ initial proposal to “carve out a progressive role” while pursuing independent business ventures abroad was seen as deeply inappropriate by the Queen.

He said she categorically rejected the idea, making clear that a “half-in, half-out” arrangement was unacceptable.

Even if he expected a ‘bounce’, Harry would have been stunned by the firmness of the response.

Jobson claims sources close to the prince said he felt “shocked” and “hurt”, interpreting the outcome as a form of exile rather than a negotiated exit.

“He could not believe that the entire royal family, almost in unison, was turning their backs on him,” Jobson wrote, according to the newspaper. Daily Mail.

In their 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry reflected on the Sandringham meeting, alleging that his brother William “yelled and screamed” at him.

He also shared at the time that his father, then-Prince Charles, had made statements he believed to be false.

The Duke of Sussex described Queen Elizabeth II as quietly observing the entire confrontation unfold.

Meghan, meanwhile, expressed anger at being left out of the summit while she was in Canada with their son Archie, saying decisions about her future were made without her presence.

Meanwhile, according to a royal expertHarry was reportedly furious after Meghan appeared to mock royal protocol by performing what some saw as an exaggerated bow during her first meeting with Queen Elizabeth II.