Prince Harry asserts that Prince William lost his temper during a family meeting conducted immediately after he and his bride Meghan Markle revealed that they would be leaving the royal family in January 2020.
Episode 5 of Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan” docuseries, which premiered Thursday, features the Duke of Sussex saying, “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, my father [King Charles III] say things that were simply not true, and my grandmother [Queen Elizabeth II] quietly sit there and take it all in.”
Harry concedes that the Queen, who passed away in September, had a “duty” to her position as queen, stating that she was surrounded by advisors who warned her that her grandson’s unusual action could be “interpreted as an assault on the institution.”
Because he had “such much regard” for her, the prince swears he “never” surprised his cherished grandma with the news.
But not just the conference, often known as the Sandringham Summit, left Harry with a sour taste in his mouth. Harry says he spoke with his father a few days previous to making the news about his and Markle’s wish to move to Canada.
Because he had “such much regard for her,” Harry swears he “never” surprised Queen Elizabeth II.
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“And in one of those [emails], I stated that if this wasn’t going to work out, we would be happy to give up our Sussex titles,” explains Harry.
The news spread rapidly.
“It became apparent that the institution had released the news that we were relocating to Canada, and the essential element of the narrative that made me aware that the contents of the letter between my father and I had been published was that we were willing to sacrifice our Sussex titles. That was the clincher,” says Harry.
Harry remembers a tough family meeting following the announcement of his and Meghan Markle’s departure.
“And I thought, ‘Wow, our stories, our life, were practically ripped out from under us’”
The 38-year-old prince claims he immediately demanded a meeting with palace authorities to discuss how to handle the resulting media frenzy, but his request was denied. The encounter did not occur until 41-year-old Markle departed town.
Harry replies to his wife, “Everything was obvious that they organized it so that you weren’t in the room.”
According to Harry, the royal family did not want Markle to attend the meeting.
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The couple’s three-year-old son Archie and one-year-old daughter Lilibet returned to the United Kingdom in March 2020 for their farewell tour. Harry recalls experiencing “nervousness” and acknowledges that tensions were high.
He says, on the unpleasant family reunion at Westminster Abbey, “It not only appeared chilly, but it really felt cold.”
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