Prince Charles and Prince William “incandescent” over Sussexes’ exit plan
Prince Charles and Prince William were reportedly “incandescent” after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan announced their resignation from their royal family roles the day before Duchess Kate’s 38th birthday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a statement on Wednesday saying they intend to quit as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family, “work to become financially independent” and live between the United Kingdom and North America.
A senior royal source told The Sun that the couple’s announcement had not been approved by the royal family.
“Their statement was not cleared with anyone. It breaks all protocol. This is a declaration of war on the family,” the source said.
“There is fury over how they’ve done this without any thought for the implications for the institution. The Queen is deeply upset. The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are incandescent with rage.
“Courtiers can’t believe it. There are so many unanswered questions but they’ve just up and done it without a thought for anyone else.”
Prince William was “blindsided” by the statement, a source told Us Weekly. “Harry and Meghan rubbed salt into the wounds by making the huge announcement a day before Kate’s birthday … It hasn’t gone down well with William,” the source said.
According to TMZ, the royal pair was told by Queen Elizabeth II to hold off their announcement until after the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday but decided not to.
The announcement came amid reports that the Sussexes had plans to move to Canada with their son Archie.
“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,” the pair’s statement read.
“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. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”