Special Royal Report: Why Harry & Meghan Quit

Sussex bombshell THE ROYAL FAMILY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME : The pair’s split has torn the Windsors apart

When Prince Harry said “I do” to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, the royal family’s future looked as sunny as it was on that historic spring day in Windsor. The fun-loving grandson of the Queen appeared to have finally found his fairytale ending with the glamorous American actress and the world couldn’t have been happier.

But fast-forward 19 months and things have gone drastically wrong. Shockwaves are echoing across the globe over the couple’s astonishing decision to step aside from their current royal roles – and calls are mounting for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to be ejected from the family over their disregard for the Queen, who was blindsided by the release of their plans.

The bombshell came on January 8, just a day after Harry and Meghan returned to public life following a super-secretive six-week holiday in Canada. Making the announcement on Instagram, they explained they no longer wanted to be “senior royals”, and would in the future divide their time between the UK and North America. At the same time, they launched a new website to explain their “progressive” new direction.

And no-one was more shocked than the 93-year-old monarch, who reportedly received the news at the same time as the rest of the world. She’s believed to have earlier asked Harry to hold off on any announcement before further talks with Prince Charles, 71, but he sent the statement to his father just 10 minutes before going public, leaving the future king “incandescent with rage”.

“Their statement was not cleared with anyone,” claims a source. “It breaks all protocol. This is a declaration of war on the family.”