British Royals - A Palace In Crisis

The sussexes explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey is set to rock the monarchy, while ailing health forces Prince Philip into hospital

- Kylie Walters

It’s the news the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been dreading since they revealed their intention to step down as full-time working royals in January 2020. As Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple were being stripped of their final royal patronages following their 12-month review, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle couldn’t help but fire one final shot of defiance at the Queen on their way out.

In a statement released by the palace on February 19, Queen Elizabeth, 94, said she was “saddened by their decision” not to return to the fold but added the pair “remain much loved members of the family”.

But hinting at the still-simmering tensions hiding just below the surface within the royal family, the couple hit back minutes later with a statement of their own. In it, Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, pledged their intention to continue supporting their previous patronages “regardless of an official role”. They then appeared to take a dig at the charitable work of the wider royal family. “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal,” they remarked.

The couple, who recently revealed they are expecting their second child, are believed to have hoped they could still represent the Queen while being “financially independent” through commercial endeavours, such as their content creator deals with Netflix and Spotify – which are reportedly worth as much as $260 million. However, Her Majesty was forced to put her foot down and tell the couple a half in-half out approach wouldn’t cut it.