In 2021, it was declared that Harry would relinquish his role as Captain General Royal Marines and surrender all other military titles as he "stepped back from royal duties". He has since authored his explosive memoir and featured in a slew of Netflix projects.

Now, Hugo Vickers, author of the book Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History, has disclosed what Elizabeth thought about her grandson's decision to abandon his role as a working royal.

Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, he shared: "Well, I do remember what the queen said at one point was, you know, one I'm not sure she's use these exact words, but basically, you know, sort of, 'One minute he's captain general of the Royal Marines and the next minute he's just a childminder'."

This revelation comes as Vickers confesses he can "never forgive" Harry and Meghan for the "stress" they caused Elizabeth. He continued: "One thing I will never forgive the Sussexes for is the stress they caused the Queen."

Vickers further expressed his belief that the Queen felt Harry "could have done more" and had "deserted the ship". He added: "He was doing a good job before he left.

"I have lived through a certain amount of chaos and I suddenly found a copy of Hello magazine and there's Prince Harry smiling. I'm like, 'Good heavens, what's this? And then I looked at the date, 2015, pre-Meghan."

Meghan has previously disclosed she found the public attention challenging as a Royal Family member. In the 2019 documentary, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, she spoke candidly about adjusting to royal life.

She said: "I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And that's the part that's really hard to reconcile.

"If things were fair ... If I'd done something wrong, I'd be the first one to go 'Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I would never do that'. But when people are saying things that are just untrue and they are being told they're untrue but they're allowed to still say them - I don't know anybody in the world who would feel like that's okay."

She characterised the press attention she encountered as a "different beast", disclosing her friends cautioned her that media scrutiny would "destroy her life". Meanwhile, Harry is said to be hoping his father King Charles will extend an invitation to Sandringham this summer to enjoy "family time" with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

An official invitation from the King would ensure that Harry is entitled to "a package of security". A friend of Harry's told the Sunday Times said: "If he was invited by the King, he would get a package of security that automatically kicks in.

"He'd like an invite to Sandringham. Would he go? It would depend who was there. If the King was to say, 'Come up and spend some time with the family', he'd love that."