Queen Elizabeth played an important role in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from the royal family, according to the new book Finding Freedom. However, the bombshell biography claims that the weeks leading up to Megxit did not necessarily play out behind-the-scenes at the palace like the British press reported.

Queen Elizabeth and The Firm have not changed

Through their rep, Harry and Meghan made it clear before the book’s release that they did not contribute to the project. However, Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand spoke to dozens of royal insiders close to Harry and Meghan, as well as Kensington Palace.

According to Express, some of Harry and Meghan’s friends described palace officials as “vipers.”

Scobie told the BBC that is an indication that not much has changed during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

“I think what we’ve seen time and time again is that things haven’t changed that much within the institution,” said Scobie. “It’s ultimately why they failed to really embrace and make it work with an American woman of color marrying into the House of Windsor. That’s a huge loss in itself.”

Scobie added that those close to the couple thought they were victims of “many, many leaks.” They also believed that many of the stories about the Sussexes were “twisted to make great headlines” by people inside the Firm with other agendas.

Harry and Meghan did not snub Queen Elizabeth at Christmas

In December 2019, it appeared to many royal fans – as well as the British press – that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were snubbing the Queen when they didn’t travel to Sandringham to join the family for a traditional royal Christmas.

Instead, Harry and Meghan traveled with their son, Archie Harrison, to Canada for a six-week trip. According to Finding Freedom, Queen Elizabeth gave them her blessing to take a break from their royal duties.

“The Queen, who saw Harry and Meghan regularly since they all lived on the Windsor estate, actually encouraged him to take the trip,” writes Scobie and Durand. “After all, they had spent the past two Christmases at her Norfolk retreat, and other family members — including the Cambridges — had skipped festive visits there, too.”

At that point, Harry and Meghan had been under intense scrutiny for two solid years, without fail. They had also gotten married, welcomed a child, and moved into a new home. Queen Elizabeth agreed that they should take a breather and enjoy some alone time.

Harry and Meghan’s trip to Canada was ‘far from’ a break

Harry and Meghan didn’t go on a quiet vacation to Canada during the holidays. While the Queen was with her close relatives in Sandringham, Harry and Meghan were on Vancouver Island. Where they were reportedly planning their future outside of the royal family.

While on Vancouver Island, Harry and Meghan rented a four-acre Mille Fleurs estate in Victoria. It was there that they worked on setting up their non-profit organization, now known as Archewell.

Just days after Harry, Meghan, and Archie arrived back in England, the Sussexes announced that they would be stepping down as senior working members of the royal family.

Finding Freedom claims that Her Majesty knew about Harry and Meghan’s intentions. She told them not to make an announcement before they put together a strategic action plan. Of course, Harry and Meghan didn’t listen, and this reportedly “hurt” Queen Elizabeth.

Not long after the Megxit announcement, Harry and Meghan returned to Vancouver Island before moving to Los Angeles. The couple reportedly purchased their first home in Montecito, California, in July.

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