Things are going from bad to worse for Prince Harry this morning, with his own brother, Prince William, reportedly ‘incandescent with rage’ over him blindsiding the royal house by releasing a statement about his decision to step back from duties as a senior royal and move to North America.
With the Queen said to be feeling betrayed over Harry and Meghan Markle’s shock announcement, it seems the couple now have few allies left in the royal family.
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Harry and Meghan’s decision to release a statement announcing their decision to leave their duties as senior members of the royal family has left the House of Windsor shell shocked and has severely tested Harry’s relationship with his family members.
‘Their statement was not cleared with anyone. It breaks all protocol,’ a source told top UK newspaper The Sun. ‘This is a declaration of war on the family.
‘There is fury over how they’ve done this without any thought for the implications for the institution. The Queen is deeply upset. The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are incandescent with rage.’
The scale of fury within the family was further hit home by a source who spoke to the Daily Mail.
‘The level of deceit has been staggering and everyone from the top of the royal household to the bottom feels like they have been stabbed in the back,’ the insider told the publication.
It is claimed the couple rushed out their statement after news broke yesterday – reported here by New Idea – that the duo were planning to lay down their demands in upcoming meetings with senior royals.
The couple were reported to be embittered by the release of an official new royal portrait which excluded them.
‘That picture was the clearest indication that Harry and Meghan are not considered part of the future of the institution,’ a source told The Sun. ‘From their point of view from that moment on there was no point hanging around.’
Buckingham Palace has expressed its displeasure by issuing a terse statement, which said: ‘We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.’
The couple are believed to be expecting to keep their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, which recently underwent a multimillion dollar refurbishment at taxpayer expense.
Taxpayers will continue to fund their huge security bills.
