Prince Harry has made some important choices both during his royal life and in the decades that have followed, but one of them riled a significant royal into disbelief.
It’s been over half a decade since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the nation by announcing their intention to step back from their roles as full-time working royals. The couple felt that their situation within the monarchy had become unbearable and change was necessary. However, their public declaration of wanting a ‘half-in, half-out’ approach to royal duties posed significant challenges for the rest of the Royal Family.
The Sussexes had been living in Canada prior to their shocking announcement, which led Meghan to move there with Archie. The details of their departure were clarified at the now-infamous Sandringham Summit, where Harry was able to attend alone.
Megxit: Inside the Sandringham Summit, a Channel Five documentary, explored the events that took place behind closed doors at this crucial meeting and its implications for the monarchy over the long term.
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One expert disclosed that a senior member of the House of Windsor was reportedly “horrified” by Harry’s decision to step back: his grandfather, Prince Philip. In the documentary, royal author Andrew Morton stated, “Prince Philip is someone who doesn’t take fools gladly, and he was horrified that they had come to a situation where the Royal Family were deciding whether to split up or not.”
The late Duke of Edinburgh chose to leave Sandringham rather than confront him because of how deeply he felt about his grandson Harry. According to journalist Emily Andrews, “Philip was so enraged that he wouldn’t even go there.” He claimed to have been unable to bring himself to see his grandson because he thought it was a grave dereliction of duty.
Prince Philip was allegedly “very much the head of the family” when it came to private affairs, despite always relying on his wife, the late Queen Elizabeth II, for decisions regarding matters of the crown.
Prince Philip shared a close bond with both Prince Harry and his elder brother Prince William, as well as his six other grandchildren. He was praised as being “brilliantly effective” in supporting the two brothers following the tragic loss of their mother in 1997.
The boys were on the Balmoral staff when they learned Diana had passed away, according to author Tina Brown, who noted that Prince Philip, who had effectively lost his own mother at the age of 10 when she was imprisoned for three years in Switzerland, was brilliantly effective with his grandsons, offering them gruff tenderness and outdoor activities like stalking and hiking.
The Independent has reported that during the planning of Princess Diana’s funeral, Prince Philip reminded those involved in organising the day that “It’s about the boys, they’ve lost their mother.”
On the day of the funeral, he also pledged his support, telling William and Harry, “I’ll walk if you walk.”
Prince Philip passed away in the year following the Sandringham Summit and Harry’s decision to step down from his royal duties, just one month after the Sussexes’ explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they explained their reasons for leaving.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Prince Harry was able to attend his grandfather’s funeral in the UK again.
He wrote of his grandfather in a moving tribute, “He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the Monarch, a decorated serviceman, a Prince and a Duke.” But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent due to the agony of the past year, he was my grandpa: the master of barbecue, the legend of banter, and the cheeky “right ’til the end””.
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Source: Mirror
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