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Prince William "genuinely shocked" at Meghan and Harry's response to the Queen

Prince William is said to be "really sad and genuinely shocked" by his brother's behaviour towards the Queen after she confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would not be returning as working royals.

This is according to The Sunday Times, who have heard from insiders that Prince William believes that Harry and Meghan have been "insulting and disrespectful" to the Queen and are "very upset by what has happened".

The Palace statement said that Her Majesty had informed the Duke and Duchess that it was "not possible" to continue with a life of public service after stepping back from duty and would be stripped of helping out their royal patronages.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family," the statement read.

"Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.

"The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family."

In response, Harry and Meghan released a statement, saying that they would offer "continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role," and that "we can all live a life of service" as "service is universal".

It's said that Prince William struggled to adjust to the loss of his brother during the trial separation.

"Once he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother," one insider said.

"They had shared everything about their lives, an office, a foundation, meetings together most days and there was a lot of fun along the way. He'll miss it forever."

Despite the current bad blood, Prince William is hopeful for reconciliation between himself and his brother.

Sources close to the Prince believe that if issues over official duties are no longer a sore point, it can pave the way for a happier relationship between the pair.

The news of the resignation also came as no surprise to the Duke of Cambridge.

"Removing work as the thing to cause tension between them will hopefully allow a relationship of brothers to re-build, but there's a long way to go. This interview coming up will hopefully not make it harder," an insider told The Times.

The interview the insider is referring to is the one that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have agreed to, which is a tell-all sit down with Oprah Winfrey.

Unfortunately, aides inside Buckingham Palace won't be able to rest easy until it airs on the 7th of March as there are worries it'll show that Harry and Meghan aren't "moving on".

"Everyone wishes they could focus on their future and be happy. The worry is that the Oprah interview is a sign they are struggling to move on."

Tags:
prince harry, prince william, the queen, meghan markle, royal exit