Queen Elizabeth II dies: Did Harry and Meghan’s exit from royal life break his grandmother’s heart?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from their positions as senior working royals was undoubtedly a cause of stress in the Queen’s last years, but although relations may have been damaged between the couple and other members of the Royal Family, their relationship with the Queen was considered to have remained close.

When the couple’s engagement was announced on November 27, 2017, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh released a statement saying they were “delighted” by the news.

In March 2018, the monarch gave her required official written consent for the marriage — this is needed for the first six people in line for the royal throne.

On the morning of their wedding, the Queen bestowed Prince Harry with new titles — Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel.

As per royal protocol, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were the last guests to arrive at Windsor Castle before Megan walked down the aisle — on Saturday, May 19, 201 — where she was accompanied by the Prince of Wales through the quire of the chapel to the altar.

The wedding was watched by hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide, the globe captured by the fairytale of the American actress marrying her British Prince and the welcome diversity being introduced to the age-old institution.

The pair embarked on tours of the Commonwealth and attended many events in their capacity as senior royals in that first seemingly halcyon few months of marriage.

Many of their initiatives focused on promoting mental health awareness, the environment and the Duke’s Invictus Games Foundation.

Often seen alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, they were dubbed the “fab four” of the Royal Family.

But by 2020, things had soured.

On January 8 that year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the shock announcement that they would step back as senior royals, become financially independent and split their time between the UK and US.

It is believed neither the Queen, nor any other senior royals, were informed of their decision before their announcement.

A few days later, the Queen held a so-called “crisis talk” with Prince Harry, Princes Charles and William.

In a statement released afterwards, the Queen described the talks as “very constructive” and said she and her family were “entirely supportive” of the young couple’s decision.

At the time it appeared the Duke and Duchess hoped to continue their commitments to their patronages and some royal duties.

But by February 2021 another Palace statement was released stating that they “will not be returning as working members of the Royal Family”, and their honorary military appointments and royal patronages were to be divided among the remaining working royals.

Their ranks were already somewhat depleted given the retirement of Prince Philip in 2017 and the removal of Prince Andrew from public duties in 2019 following the revelations of the Epstein affair.

The official statement on Megxit included the clarification: “While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much-loved members of the family.”

On March 7 of the same year — as Prince Philip lay in a hospital bed — a much-anticipated interview between Harry and Meghan with legendary American talk show host Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS, marking the first time the couple had been extensively interviewed since their exit from the Royal Family.

The interview was full of bombshell allegations aimed at the palace by both Harry and Meghan.

One of most damaging was Meghan’s revelation that members of the Royal Family had “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born…and what that would mean and what that would look like”.

There was, after the airing, a clarification that this was not in reference to the Queen, or Prince Philip, but it was no doubt concerning for the Queen that her family’s dirty laundry had been aired once again.

Although they took shots at other members of the Royal Family, the couple remained respectful of the Queen throughout the interview suggesting relations between her and the couple remained strong.

“No, I would never blindside my grandmother, I have too much respect for her,” Prince Harry said, when asked if they informed the Queen before their public announcement they were stepping back from their roles.

The sit-down was a breach of strict royal protocol that members of the Royal Family do not openly criticise each other, and the rest of the Royal Family handled the saga with strategically worded Buckingham Palace statements and whispers to the media.

The interview also allowed the couple to officially announce that Meghan was pregnant with their second child.

She gave birth to daughter Lilibet Diana on June 4, 2021.

Named to honour his grandmother — Lilibet was her childhood nickname — it was considered the action may have gone some way to repairing any fractures in the relationship between the Queen and the now-US based couple.

But some commentators claimed the name was insensitive because it was a name used only in private by the monarch.

The Palace released a statement announcing the birth and the family’s “delighted” reaction at the birth of their daughter, who would be known as Lili.

Saturday, in a special 32 page commemorative liftout, The West Australian pays tribute to the extraordinary life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We celebrate her life, from early childhood and her ascension to the throne, to life with her beloved Prince Philip and family. Don’t miss this special edition of The West Australian on Saturday.