In the twilight of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II confronted one of the most delicate challenges of her monarchy: managing the unprecedented decision of her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to step back as senior working royals. While her personal affection for Harry never dimmed, her constitutional duty demanded a firm and unambiguous response to protect the institution of the monarchy.
The Monarch's Uncompromising Stance
According to royal biographer Robert Jobson, the Queen's personal and professional views were starkly divided. As a grandmother, she 'undoubtedly loved Harry and the fun-loving side to his character'. Yet, as Sovereign, she viewed him as 'a maverick who had let her down'. Her core principle was absolute: 'You were either working for the Firm fully, or not. There was no halfway house'.
This principle guided her actions throughout the crisis. Although she did not object to the couple's desire for a more independent life, she was 'adamant' that they must be stripped of their royal patronages and banned from using their HRH titles for personal or commercial gain. The idea of them 'earning millions by cashing in on their royal titles and status' was, the author claims, abhorrent to her.
The Fateful Sandringham Summit
The decisive moment came at the now-infamous 'Sandringham Summit' on January 13, 2020. The Queen summoned Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry to her Norfolk estate for a 90-minute meeting that would shape the Sussexes' future. Notably, Meghan, still in Canada with infant Archie, was not present—a point of later contention where she described feeling like the 'target' excluded from a discussion about her own life.
The outcome was swift and clear. Within a month, Harry and Meghan were told to drop their planned 'Sussex Royal' brand. A formal palace statement expressed sadness but respect for their choice, while laying out the new reality. Harry lost his military appointments and role as Commonwealth youth ambassador. The couple volunteered to forgo public funding and agreed to repay £2.4 million in taxpayer money used to renovate Frogmore Cottage.
Shock, Snubs, and Lasting Heartbreak
Despite expecting some resistance, Harry was allegedly 'surprised at how unforgiving' the family was and felt 'shocked and hurt' by what he perceived as a unified back-turning. This sentiment was compounded at their final official engagement, the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2020, where they discovered they had been removed from the official line-up without prior consultation.
In her final years, the Queen was said to be personally devastated by the estrangement. Her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, suggested the monarch never truly understood Harry's decision, finding the concept of turning away from duty 'completely alien'. Yet, for the future safeguarding of the Crown, Her Majesty remained determined to eliminate all ambiguity, ensuring the roles of Harry and Meghan were clearly—and permanently—defined outside the working royal framework.
