The stress caused by Harry and Meghan’s falling out with the Royal Family had a ‘detrimental effect’ on the health of the Queen in the final months of her life, well-placed sources have told The Mail on Sunday.
The revelation comes days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex renewed their attack on the Royals in the final three episodes of their Netflix series.
Now insiders have disclosed for the first time the true toll of the ‘Megxit’ family drama on the late monarch.
In the lead-up to the couple’s move across the Atlantic and in the years since, the Royal Family has faced a stream of claims of Palace briefings against Meghan and Harry and even of racism.
TRUE TOLL: The Queen with Meghan and Harry at Buckingham Palace in 2018
The revelation comes days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex renewed their attack on the Royals in the final three episodes of their Netflix series (picture showing Harry in his Netflix series)
Queen Elizabeth waits in the Drawing Room before receiving Liz Truss for an audience, where she invited her to form a government shortly before her death
The short-lived image of the ‘Fab Four’ – a united front between Prince William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan – was shattered as the break between the brothers grew increasingly heated
The short-lived image of the ‘Fab Four’ – a united front between Prince William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan – was shattered as the break between the brothers grew increasingly heated.
A well-placed source was clear that Her Majesty’s health was already declining for reasons that had nothing to do with Megxit, but added: ‘It really affected the Queen’s health.
‘It had a detrimental effect on her health. Yes she was elderly and there were other issues with that but nevertheless all the Harry and Meghan claims certainly contributed to that.’
The source added: ‘I’m just so glad the Queen isn’t around to hear all about this latest programme.
‘It is the very opposite to duty, unity and sacrifice – everything that she was brought up to believe in and which she embodied.’
The late Queen’s death certificate said that she died of ‘old age’. But those close to the monarch, who died on September 8 aged 96, believe that her frequent ‘mobility issues’ were impacted by the added stress of her grandson’s decision to break away from his family and criticise the institution to which she had dedicated her life.
It has been nearly three years since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intention to step down from their official Royal duties.
After releasing a statement about their plans, the fine details of the break were to be decided during a meeting in January 2020 – breaking into the Queen’s Christmas holiday at her private estate in Sandringham, Norfolk.
In their latest Netflix episodes –released on Thursday – the couple appeared to blame the Royal Family for deliberately timing the crunch meeting, known as the Sandringham Summit, after Meghan returned to California.
Harry claimed to be ‘terrified’ when his brother ‘screamed and shouted’ at him during the meeting. He also accused his father of saying ‘things that simply weren’t true’ and revealed that his grandmother, the Queen, ‘quietly sat there’ and ‘took it all in’.
It has been previously reported that the late Prince Philip, enraged by his grandson, made his feelings clear by excusing himself from the meeting.
The Queen, meanwhile, decided that there could not be a ‘half in, half out’ deal. It meant that if the Sussexes wished to be free to make their fortune abroad, then they would have to relinquish their official Royal roles.
The stress caused by Harry and Meghan’s falling out with the Royal Family had a ‘detrimental effect’ on the health of the Queen in the final months of her life. Pictured: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II attend a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in Widnes
Harry and Meghan on their Netflix docuseries
For Harry, the added loss of his military titles was said to be particularly wounding.
Now, sources have revealed quite how badly the fallout also affected the Queen. Contrary to assertions made in Harry and Meghan’s television series, palace insiders say that it was the Queen’s decision not to see them on one of their few visits back to Britain.
Harry revealed that the Queen said: ‘I’ve been told that I’m busy all week.’
The monarch’s health was by then failing, with sources saying the final year of her life was particularly taxing.
In October last year, she had a night in hospital undergoing tests. Nearly a month later, she was said to be ‘disappointed’ when a back sprain forced her to pull out of the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph.
In her final weeks, the late Queen missed the Commonwealth Games and the annual Braemar Games in the Highlands, but was determined to meet the outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers – Boris Johnson and Liz Truss – on September 6 this year.
The next evening the monarch postponed her Privy Council meeting after being advised by doctors to rest and Palace officials announced the following afternoon that she had died. Even after her death, Harry did not appear to be united with the rest of his family.
He did not fly up to Scotland on the same plane as his brother and his uncles Andrew and Edward, arriving at Balmoral Castle on his own later that day. He left early the following morning before other members of the family.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.