Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has reacted to the announcement of her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle intending to step back as senior members of the Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced to “make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution” in a statement released on Instagram.
The monarch on the other hand says the conversation is still in “early” stages.
“Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” the Britain Queen’s office of Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Wednesday.
The couple’s break with the royal family to become “financially independent” without consulting other Royals has triggered outrage.
A senior source said that “The Queen is deeply upset. The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are incandescent with rage.”
“There is a lot of hurt about this,” one royal source told PEOPLE.
The Sussexes also plan to divide their time between UK and North America.
The move comes a few months after Harry and Meghan opened up about their emotional distress following constant tabloid scrutiny and are currently embroiled in several lawsuits with the UK press.
