The Awesome Foursome Hit Rock Bottom

As Harry reveals the couples have drifted apart, a heartbroken Kate discovers a sad new reality for the royals

It was the news the Duchess of Cambridge had been dreading – and it’s now become a sad reality that will change the monarchy forever.

For months, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s dissatisfaction over life in the royal family has become increasingly apparent. From being branded environmental hypocrites to feuding with the Cambridges and stubbornly waging a legal war on the UK media, the couple has never been far from controversy.

As tensions reached fever pitch, word started to spread that the Sussexes were contemplating a prolonged break from royal duty. This was accompanied by even more intense rumblings of a secret plan to quit the palace altogether and move full-time to Africa.

“Nobody thought they’d actually go through with anything so dramatic,” one palace insider tells Woman’s Day. “Harry’s known for being headstrong, but the notion he and Meghan would actually be plotting to turn their backs on the family for good seemed like a fanciful impossibility.”

As the drama unfolded, senior royals including Kate – who is widely expected to be crowned queen instead of Prince Charles taking the throne – looked on with a mixture of trepidation and optimism.

“She heard the rumors, but hoped and anticipated it would all blow over and that Harry and Meghan would return to the fold with a stiff upper lip,” adds the confidante. “Of course she conveyed to William what was being said, but he too held out hope it was just rumor-mongering and that Harry would see sense instead of being too dramatic.”

SURPRISE ATTACK

Sadly, those hopes went unheeded as Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, confirmed all their fears and more in a brutal TV interview.