King Charles isn’t the only British monarch to have cherished Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s recent visit to the UK. According to a royal insider, King Charles’ predecessor Queen Elizabeth II also had a desire to spend time with her great-grandchildren prior to her passing, which made the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to leave for the US all the more painful for the late queen.
Queen Elizabeth’s former aide reveals her reaction to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s UK exit
Paul Burrell, one of the Queen’s former footmen, has revealed that the former monarch was devastated to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave the UK.
According to Burrell, Queen Elizabeth had excitedly made preparations to host Princess Lilibet’s first birthday in 2022. However, she soon learned that Lilibet’s parents had already departed for Frogmore Cottage to commemorate the occasion. The couple reportedly left for the US shortly afterward, leaving the Queen “confused” and “offended.”
“On Lilibet’s first birthday, the Queen didn’t see her – she saw her the day before,” said Burrell, as per the Daily Express. “But on her birthday, the Queen had a birthday cake made with one candle in it. And they never turned up. That candle was never lit.”
Having missed Princess Lilibet’s first birthday, Queen Elizabeth had seemingly hoped to see her, along with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the next day, only for her aides to inform her of the family’s departure to the US. The sudden plan prompted the queen to react by saying, “What do you mean they’ve gone?”
Burrell noted that this development left the queen disappointed and upset. “Well, I don’t understand anyone that could do that,” he remarked. “Not her family, why would you want to? She was devoid of jealousy, anger, envy, all those traits that we associate with other people she didn’t have. She was just a very simple soul. I wish the world could have known her the way I knew her.”
