Prince Harry reportedly left Prince Philip so “horrified” with his major decision that the royal left the meeting.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, announced his and wife Meghan Markle’s exit from the royal family in 2020 after the couple first left the country to spend some time in Canada.
According to a new documentary, the couple announced their exit from Royal duties during a secret Royal Family meeting dubbed the Sandringham Summit, which took place on January 13.
Many royal experts told Channel 5’s Megxit: Inside the Sandringham Summit that Harry’s decision to quit his royal duties left the late Duke of Edinburgh “horrified”. Philip then left the meeting, which also included the late Queen Elizabeth, King Charles and Prince William.
According to OK!, author Andrew Morton said, “Prince Philip is someone who doesn’t take fools gladly, and he was horrified that they had come to a situation where the Royal Family were deciding whether to split up or not.”
Journalist Emily Andrews said: “Philip was so angry that he refused to even be there.”
“I was told that he just couldn’t bring himself to see his grandson; he thought it was a huge dereliction of duty,” she added.
Harry and Meghan then announced the split via a statement, saying, “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.”
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages,” they concluded.
Afterwards, Buckingham Palace also released a statement on behalf of the Queen, saying, “Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family. My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
“Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK,” the statement explained.
