Prince Philip was left "indignant and mystified" after learning Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were quitting as working royals it has been claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent shockwaves through the royal family when they announced in 2020 that they were stepping back from official duties and were moving to the US to begin a new life and become "financially independent."
It is not believed they consulted any of their relatives before their making their announcement on social media.
And the late Duke of Edinburgh was stunned and asked "what the hell they were playing at?" when he was informed of their decision, according to a new biography of The Queen.
In the book, simply titled The Queen, author Andrew Morton, says: "Though increasingly incapacitated, Prince Philip’s indignant and mystified response summed up the feelings of many inside and outside the institution: ‘What the hell are they playing at?’
"The idea of a royal not wanting to be a royal any more nor willing to accept the Queen’s authority without question was simply incomprehensible, particularly to a man who had sacrificed his whole life in supporting the Queen and upholding the monarchy."
Andrew, best known for his 1992 book on Princess Diana, says the comment was made during a crisis meeting at Sandringham with The Queen, her husband, Prince Charles and Prince William where the terms of their exit were thrashed out.
The Duke sadly died last April at the age of 99. Prince Harry was among the mourners at his funeral where the number of attendees was limited due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since their move stateside, Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, have signed several big-money deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify reports the Mirror.
They have confirmed they will be returning to the UK with their children for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations next month.
They won't however be appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the ceremonial Trooping of the Colour on June 2 – which will kick start four days of festivities.
After "careful consideration" the Queen had decided that the balcony appearance would be "limited to Her Majesty and those members of the royal family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen" the Palace announced last month.
Elsewhere in the book Andrew reveals the Queen was at her "wit's end" as as the marriages of two of her sons – Prince Charles and Prince Andrew – crumbled at the same time in the early 1990s.
It also discusses the impact the death of Princess Diana had on The Queen – who helped console her son Prince Charles after the tragedy – and how the number of mourners in central London when she returned to Buckingham Palace left her feeling "bewildered."
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