Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle denounced palace life, it has become clear to royal watchers that almost everything the couple have said upon their exit were empty promises.
On numerous occasions, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have appeared to go back on their word, or even contradicted themselves in some cases.
WATCH: Prince Harry and Prince William arrive at the Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace
Through it all, the Queen has remained dignified in her stoicism. Yet, her legendary patience is being tested by the latest Sussex bombshell.
Indeed, it’s believed the 95-year-old monarch finally snapped last week, after she was informed her grandson is writing a memoir as part of a four-book deal. But the real kicker is a caveat that the second book isn’t to be published until after she dies!
Although a Sussex spokesperson has denied the claims about the second book, a royal source tells New Idea: “Honestly, it’s just one attack after the other. Harry and Meghan need to stop! Whatever they are planning must be huge.”
Understandably, the Queen is devastated by these latest developments.
“Harry used to be such a kind, sensitive boy,” explains the royal insider. “She can’t believe he would set out to hurt her, her family and everything she’s built in the past 70 years.”
In fact, the Queen is so shaken by Harry and Meghan’s latest revelation that she’s reportedly fled from Windsor Castle to the relative calm of Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
According to The Sun, she is “very tired” and still “deeply grieving” the loss of her husband, Prince Philip, in April. An insider tells New Idea that her retreat is also down to “the Sussex problem”.
“She needs time to take stock,” says a source. “You have to remember the Queen is an old woman. She must be struggling to keep up with the myriad ways they keep hurling insults at the institution that she’s dedicated her whole life to, ensuring its survival.
“She needs time to think – and come to terms with the fact that her relationship with Harry might never recover. It feels like such a slap in the face to have someone coming for her dynasty from within.”
Back in February 2020, Harry, 36, and Meghan, who turns 40 this week, insisted on their website that they would “uphold her majesty’s values” and continue to support the crown. It’s hard to reconcile that, just over 18 months later, a very different picture seems to be painted.
WATCH: Meghan Markle makes her first TV appearance since Oprah interview (Article continues after video)
“Going on TV with Oprah and making these accusations is not exactly upholding the values of the Queen,” snipes one palace insider. “They don’t seem too concerned about separating truth from fiction, as long as it fits their agenda.”
By now, Meghan and Harry – who live in Montecito with their 2-year-old son, Archie, and 2-month-old daughter, Lilibet – “have been made aware the Queen is in Balmoral, in a bad way”.
While the Sussexes have been sympathetic, they too are feeling upset that they have been made to “look like monsters”, with the rumours of Harry’s book deal leaking.
“They didn’t want anyone to know they had extra chapters up their sleeves, because it makes them look callous,” alleges the source.
Still, Meghan is digging in her heels. In fact, Tom Quinn, the author of Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle, says Meghan’s holding out hope for an apology from the palace.
“She was hoping they would phone up and say: ‘We are really sorry, we now see that we pushed you too far. We should have behaved differently,’” Quinn says in the new doco, Meghan at 40. “I think she was horrified afterward that the reaction was so negative from the family and they didn’t respond in the way that she wanted.”
Meanwhile, some staff who worked for the Sussexes in the UK are reportedly worried the books may detail inaccurate accounts of how they were treated. So much so, they may take legal action.
“Based on the Oprah Winfrey interview, some of these ex-workers simply do not trust that a full and accurate picture will be presented,” a source told the Daily Mail. “Conversations have already started about what steps they might be able to take to protect their own reputations and that of the monarchy, post-publication.
“Legal remedies could also be available if the book ‘smears any individual staff members unfairly.’”
For more, pick up a copy of New Idea. On sale now!
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