Duke’s anger at ‘insulting’ way brother treated Queen
William felt Harry ‘blindsided’ their grandmother with new royal website
THE Duke of Cambridge felt his brother had “blindsided” the Queen and behaved in an “insulting and disrespectful way” following the surprise launch of the Sussexroyal website last year, according to a senior royal source.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s announcement, outlining their own plans for the future, upset William greatly ahead of a royal family meeting to negotiate the terms of Megxit, the Sunday Times magazine reported.
Following a decree from the Queen the couple conceded they could not use the word “royal” for personal projects, but said that the monarchy had “no jurisdiction” overseas.
A royal source said the content of Harry and Meghan’s response had been “staggering”.
“That was it for William, he felt they’d blindsided the Queen in such an insulting and disrespectful way,” they said.
Friends of the duke also denied claims made by Harry during his interview with Oprah Winfrey that William felt “trapped” as a royal.
“He has a path set for him and he’s completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother’s grandson in that respect of duty and service,” they told the Sunday Times.
He was reported to be unhappy when the Queen was asked to prorogue Parliament in 2019, which was later deemed to be unlawful by the Supreme Court.
Under William’s rule there would be a “more private, robust challenging of advice”, the source said.
Miguel Head, who previously worked as the future king’s private secretary, told the Sunday Times: “I can’t see him backing away from causes he’s passionate about. And while he’s not someone who loves ceremony, he knows the importance of it.
“When he gets the top job he won’t do away with it all. He’s mindful the monarchy represents something timeless that’s above all of us, and many people like the magic and theatre of it.”
Meanwhile, a royal source revealed yesterday Buckingham Palace is to consider appointing a diversity chief as “more needs to be done” to address the issue.
The proposals, which have the “full support” of the royal family, aim to seek independent views to help assess and improve representation across the royal household.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed in their interview with Oprah Winfrey a member of the family — not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh — had made a racist comment about their son Archie.
While the work being undertaken around diversity pre-dates the couple’s interview, their comments will be taken on board as part of the process, it is understood.
A royal source said: “This is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the royal households.
“We have the policies, the procedures and programmes in place but we haven’t seen the progress we would like and accept more needs to be done, we can always improve.
“Therefore we are not afraid to look at new ways of approaching it. The work to do this has been under way for some time now and comes with the full support of the family.”
On the potential appointment of a diversity chief, as first reported by the Mail on Sunday, the source added: “It is something that has to be considered but it is too early for any firm plans to be announced.
“We are listening and learning, to get this right.”
‘Harry and Meghan’s response had been staggering... William felt they’d blindsided the Queen in such a disrespectful way’