A Palace insider has reportedly called out Meghan and Harry over one awkward decision they made while distancing themselves from royal life. It allegedly ‘spelled disaster’ for the late Queen

One word from Harry and Meghan is said to have made the Queen worried about ‘disaster'(Image: Getty Images)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sent shockwaves across the world when they stepped down from royal duties five years ago, and a Palace insider was said to be left ‘raging’ at one aspect of their departure.

When the couple first announced their desire to represent the crown on a part-time basis – while working towards being “financially independent” – royal watchers were stunned.

And within the House of Windsor, a sense of impending “disaster” quickly settled, with a royal source claiming that one particular world in Harry and Meghan’s sensational statement left insiders reeling.

The couple made it clear that they never wanted to fully break away from the monarchy, but instead “carve out a progressive new role within this institution”. In their initial statement, the Sussexes added: “We will continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties.”

Harry and Meghan have only ever spoken positively about the late Queen(Image: Getty Images)

But it was the use of the word “collaborate” that caused deep concern. The monarchy is, by definition, an inherently hierarchical institution. Only one person wears the crown, and the rest of the senior royals work to support the monarch – so the idea that there would be a collaboration of some kind left one Palace insider baffled, and ‘raging’.

“No one ‘collaborates’ with the Queen. This is not one of those ‘Kate Moss Top Shop tie-ups’,” the source told the Daily Mail. Another said, “Her Late Majesty was nobody’s fool and knew that the chances were, it would all end in disaster”.

Meghan and Harry have gone on to embark on a number of high-profile professional endeavours, as they fund their own lives in California – including incredibly expensive private security and running their Montecito mansion.

The couple produced a six-part self-titled documentary series for Netflix, during which they retreaded old ground about their reasons for exiting royal life, and provided never-before-seen insight into their love story, to the delight of their fans.

Harry’s memoir Spare broke records upon its release in 2023 and gave readers a behind-closed-doors look at what life growing up inside the monarchy is really like, warts and all – at least from Harry’s perspective.

Both of these high-profile – and incredibly candid projects – were not received well at the palace, with Prince William now totally estranged from his once-close younger brother, and King Charles – by Harry’s own admission – refusing to speak to his son due to the Duke’s ongoing legal battle of the removal of his automatic police security in the UK.

Most recently, Meghan has stepped into the lifestyle world, launching a new series about hosting tips entitled With Love, Meghan and an accompanying brand – As Ever.

She has also returned to Instagram, having given up her personal online accounts back when her relationship with Harry got serious and she planning to spend a lifetime as a working royal.

Since returning to social media, Meghan has not been afraid to show her personality and some aspects of her private life – including recently posting a video of herself dancing around a hospital room the day she went into labour with her daughter Princess Lilibet.

“Four years ago today, this also happened,” she captioned the post marking her daughter’s birthday. “Both of our children were a week past their due dates… so when spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn’t work – there was only one thing left to do!”

Meghan posted the lighthearted video of herself dancing to induce labour(Image: meghan/Instagram)

In response to the clip, a source quoted as a palace insider told the Mail: “This is exactly why Queen Elizabeth knew this whole half-in, half-out version of royalty they were lobbying for was never, ever going to work.

“Harry and Meghan were a law unto themselves from the start, pushing and pushing the envelope to their own professional and financial advantage.”