Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sent shockwaves around the world in 2020 when they confirmed they were stepping back from royal duty in the UK and moving to America. While the Royal Family could do nothing but sit back and allow it, having had discussions to try and deal with the issues at hand, Harry and Meghan’s decision was not well-received by everyone in the Firm.
Although the late Queen appeared to be among the most understanding and even said the couple would always be part of her family regardless of their royal status, it seems that her husband, Prince Philip, was not as calm. Instead, it is believed that Philip was disappointed about the situation and his grandson’s decision, especially as he himself gave up a lot of his life to commit to the monarchy.
Before marrying Queen Elizabeth in 1947, Philip had to give up his Greek and Danish citizenship to become British.
As reported by The Mirror, he then had to change his full name from Philippos Andreou Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderberg-Glücksburg to Philip Mountbatten.
In 1952, Philip then had to leave behind his successful career in the Royal Navy when Elizabeth became Queen, putting her role ahead of his own way of living.
While it is believed Philip did this in the name of love, one royal expert said in 2020 that it made Meghan Markle’s lack of commitment to royal life a source of annoyance for him, and he doesn’t understand why she, like him, couldn’t put the monarchy first after marrying his grandson.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told Sky News in 2020: “I think he’s very, very disappointed because I think he feels he gave up his naval career in order to stand by the Queen and help the monarchy.”
She continued: “And why can’t Meghan just give up her acting career, support her husband and support the monarchy? He just cannot understand why she couldn’t support Harry and help him rather than wanting to have her voice.”
It is believed Philip’s unhappiness at the situation is one of the reasons why he didn’t attend the Sandringham summit in 2020, which was held to try and work out what Harry’s future outside of the monarchy would look like.
While Philip, who passed away a year later in 2021, may have been disappointed with the situation, it is believed this did not stop him from maintaining a relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they moved across the pond.
Harry, 40, revealed in 2021 that the family kept in touch via Zoom, with Prince Philip being able to see Harry’s son, Prince Archie, through the computer screen. It is not known what Philip’s last words to his grandson Prince Harry were.