When Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry announced their intention to step back as senior royal family members, it would be safe to say the world was in complete shock.
Seeing two key players in The Firm make such a dramatic move by stepping down is something that only happens once in a blue moon where the House of Windsor is concerned.
But at the time, it seemed none were more surprised by the news than the royal family themselves, who according to various reports, were blindsided by the statement released by the Sussexes on Instagram.
Harry and Meghan delivered a bombshell statement on Instagram this week.
(Getty)The pair made the announcement on Instagram in the early hours of Thursday morning, stating that they would “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family.”
They also confirmed their intention to split their time between the UK and North America.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter.”
In the hours following, the internet was sent into meltdown as the unexpected news spread – it seemed almost everyone, including key royal family members, were in the dark on the announcement, with a palace source telling BBC that the royals were “blindsided”, although there had certainly been conversations (in early stages) of such a move happening.
Various reports stated that the palace had been “blindsided”.
(Getty)But now, Harper’s BAZAAR‘s respected royal writer Omid Scobie has revealed there could have been a sound justification to the pair’s decision to jump the gun and announce the move before the palace was ready.
The couple apparently intended to hold back from telling the public anything until the logistics had been fleshed out, however their agenda was reportedly leaked to The Sun, and a source told Scobie that “they felt they had been cornered.”
“It was a case of act now or lose control of something they had spent a long time working on,” the source explained.
WATCH: Sussex Royal posts a wrap of Harry and Meghan’s best moments from 2019. Story continues…
Another high-ranking Palace aide told Scobie the royal reaction was “far from the dramatic emotional response described by some—nobody was ‘incandescent with rage’ and nobody is about to punish anyone.”
The aide admitted that the speed at which Harry and Meghan announced the news was “not ideal”, but their plans to step down as royal family members was “not a problem”.
“This is not a ‘crisis,’ it’s a case of helping the couple reach their goal.”
It is expected that the Queen and Prince Charles will work with Harry and Meghan to finalise the arrangement within a matter of days, Buckingham Palace confirms.
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