Out of all the accusations Prince Harry and Meghan Markle slung the Royal Family’s way, it was one unexpected word that told the late Queen that there was no return for the exiled couple
22:14, 10 Jun 2025Updated 22:14, 10 Jun 2025
All it took was one word, and The Queen knew(Image: PA)
The Queen knew there was no coming back for the Duke and Duchess thanks to the couple’s use of one, unassuming word.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the accusation of racism that did it, which the exiled couple voiced in the famous 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview. It also wasn’t the fuss over titles, with Harry and Meghan at risk of losing their HRH titles after stepping down as working royals, and their desperation for their children Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet to cling on to theirs.
What confirmed to The Queen and then Prince Charles and Prince William was a carefully chosen word in the Sussex’s statement over their Megxit in 2020 – while not slanderous by any means, it still would have been a bit of a shock for the Monarch or heirs to hear.
This doesn’t look like a woman who ‘collaborates'(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
Announcing their decision to step down as working royals to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution” the Sussexes said: “We will continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties.”
According to MailOnline Royal Editor Rebecca English, ‘collaborate’ sealed the deal with the upper echelons of the Royal Family.
A source told Rebecca: “No-one ‘collaborates’ with the Queen. This is not one of those ‘Kate Moss Top Shop tie-ups’.”
No ‘progressive new roles’ came for the couple(Image: PA)
Rebecca wrote that she was reminded of this comment after Meghan posted a picture of herself twerking in the delivery suite, hoping to induce labor during her second pregnancy.
The source said: “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.”
Another source told Rebecca that the late Queen was “nobody’s fool” and knew it was highly likely “it would all end in disaster”.
The couple are a ‘law unto themselves'(Image: PA)
There were probably a number of other moments that, with hindsight, indicated a long family rupture was on the cards.
It’s thought a stark two-word quip from William was the first sign of a riff, just a month after Harry and Meghan’s wedding. At a Royal Foundation event in February 2018 where Meghan was announced as the fourth patron, the ‘fab four’ were asked whether working closely caused disagreements.
William gave a resounding: “Oh, yes!,” with Harry agreeing, saying: “They come so thick and fast. Working as family does have its challenges, of course it does. But we’re stuck together for the rest of our lives.”
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