Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s breakdown of their relationship with David and Victoria Beckham was down to one of the Sussexes’s key moves, a royal expert has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been enjoying a close relationship with the Beckhams,

with Harry and David being reportedly friends for years and Meghan even endorsing Victoria’s brand.

But the Montecito couple’s departure from the Royal Family and subsequently Britain has had an effect on their once-concrete bond, according to a royal expert.

Veteran royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams suggested that the royal couple’s bashing against the royals was

the catalyst for their friendship falling to bits as he described the Beckhams as “very patriotic”.

He told the Sun: “There’s no doubt that the Beckhams are very, very patriotic – they are great supporters of the Royal Family.

“I suspect strongly, and this is just my view, that they didn’t like the way the Sussexes monetized their Royal connections for gain.”

He added: “It would seem that what was once a blossoming friendship has now descended into something of a rift.”

It comes as the Beckhams’s Netflix docuseries was crowned as the most watched on the streaming service, whereas the Sussexes’ show slumped to rank 211.

Mr Fitzwilliams dubbed the latest news as a huge blow for Harry and Meghan would consider David and Victoria “everything they would like to be”.

He explained: “You can’t compare Harry and Meghan to the Beckhams.

“This is the thing the Beckhams have not only survived, they’ve thrived.

“The Beckhams and the Sussexes aren’t comparable – they aren’t on the same level.

“There isn’t a modest comparison other than the superficial, because you’ve got those who’ve basically survived decades – and they’re absolutely huge.

“So I don’t think there’s any possibility of Harry and Meghan resembling that level.”