Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s “shocking” attacks brought King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II closer, a royal author has claimed.
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intentions to step back from royal duties in January 2020, they proposed a scenario where they would combine royal duties with commercial endeavours.
However, the Sussexes stepped down from duties in March 2020 after it was made clear that they had to fully commit to being working royals.
Robert Hardman, author of the new book, ‘The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy’, argued that this made the King and his late mother “closer”.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may have brought the King and his late mother ‘closer’
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He suggested: “Harry and Meghan’s departure brought Charles and his mother closer together.”
Hardman also spoke about the Sussexes’ Oprah Winfrey interview which occurred in 2021, and the Royal Family’s reaction.
He added: “I don’t think anything could really trump the sort of sense of shock felt by the Oprah Winfrey interview — that was huge.”
In December 2022, the duke and duchess starred in a self-titled Netflix series, where they spoke about their experiences as working royals.
According to Hardman, the King remained “pragmatic” despite his “sadness” at his younger son for publicly discussing internal politics within the Royal Family.
He explained: “There was a sort of weary resignation, but also a sense that ‘Look, I’ve got so much to worry about now that I don’t have the luxury of dwelling on this.
“‘If that’s what they want to do. I mean there’s, there’s only so much I as a father can do. And the door is always open.’”
The author additionally told People Magazine that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departure is a loss for the monarchy.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex starred in their own Netflix series in December 2022
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are a ‘great loss to the institution’, according to Hardman
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Hardman claimed there is the “occasional wistful thought” at the Palace about “if they were still part of the team and of all the things they could have done and could now be doing”.
He continued: “There is no question that Harry and Meghan are a great loss to the institution, and that is still appreciated and understood.
“There’s absolutely no sense of good riddance or anything like that. It’s fundamentally a source of deep regret.”
