William felt Harry and Meghan 'blindsided' the Queen, claims senior royal source

21 March 2021, 15:24 | Updated: 21 March 2021, 15:34

The Duke of Cambridge felt like his brother had "blindsided" the Queen and behaved in an "insulting and disrespectful way," following the surprise launch of the SussexRoyal website last year, according to a senior royal source.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's announcement, outlining their own plans for the future, reportedly upset William greatly ahead of a royal family meeting to negotiate the terms of "Megxit".

Following a decree from the Queen the couple conceded that they could not use the word "royal" for personal projects, but said that the monarchy had "no jurisdiction" overseas.

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A royal source told the Sunday Times that the content of Harry and Meghan's response had been "staggering".

"That was it for William, he felt they'd blindsided the Queen in such an insulting and disrespectful way," they said.

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Friends of the duke also denied claims made by Harry during his interview with Oprah Winfrey that William felt "trapped" as a royal.

"He has a path set for him and he's completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother's grandson in that respect of duty and service," they told the newspaper.

Last weekend, TV host Gayle King, a friend of Meghan, told CBS Prince Harry has spoken to Charles and William about his bombshell interview, but the conversation was unproductive.

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Ms King, who attended Meghan's baby shower in 2019 and is also close friends with Oprah, said: “Well I'm not trying to break news, but I did actually call them to see how they were feeling, and it's true, Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too. The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive.”

She added: “But they are glad that they have at least started a conversation. And I think what is still upsetting to them is the palace keep saying they want to work it out privately, but yet, they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan, still."

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The royal source also claimed William was unhappy when the Queen was asked to prorogue Parliament in 2019, which was later deemed to be unlawful by the Supreme Court.

Under William's rule there would be a "more private, robust challenging of advice," they added.

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Miguel Head, who previously worked as the future king's private secretary, said William would continue to balance issues he was "passionate" about and the tradition of the royal family.

"I can't see him backing away from causes he's passionate about. And while he's not someone who loves ceremony, he knows the importance of it," he said.

"When he gets the top job he won't do away with it all.

"He's mindful the monarchy represents something timeless that's above all of us, and many people like the magic and theatre of it."