Prince Harry ‘always wanted out’ of royals, and Meghan helped him do it

The Duchess of Sussex gave Prince Harry the tools to leave the royal family, but author Tina Brown says he always “wanted out”.

Prince Harry wanted to leave the royal family, and the Duchess of Sussex simply gave him the tools to do so, according to Tina Brown, author of The Palace Papers.

Brown says the duchess was likely inspired by former US First Lady Michelle Obama, but believes Prince Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana would not have approved of the couple’s approach.

“Diana always saw the power of changing within the structure of monarchy, she didn’t want to be out of the monarchy,” Brown said in an interview with The Washington Post.

“She wanted to hang on to her HRH, which was confiscated, she stayed living in Kensington Palace. Nothing would have prised her out of there.

“She saw that the royal imprimatur was always going to be the best leverage, the best convening power, to promote the causes that she cared about, so I don’t know that she would have ever advocated going off to live in Montecito without any of the patronages, any of the platform of the palace.”

While the duchess was likely drawn to Michelle Obama’s lifestyle – combining stature and wealth with freedom, Brown said it was unfair for the couple’s departure as senior working royals to be branded as “Megxit”.

“I really think Harry wanted out himself,” she said.

According to Brown, “senior advisors, those close in the circle” told her the Duke of Sussex wanted to leave his position.

“It’s also fair to say that Meghan gave Harry the tools to leave, because she was wired in, she understood the world of agents and deals.

“This wasn’t Harry’s world, but suddenly he had in Meghan a very worldly strategist who he decided to trust above all the other advisors.”

QUEEN REBUFFS HARRY

Queen Elizabeth II looked to be in healthy form on Thursday, local time, as she met face-to-face with Switzerland’s president, in the build-up to UK-wide celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee in early June.

The monarch returned to Windsor Castle after a week-long break on her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, where she marked her 96th birthday in private on April 21.

The audience with President Ignazio Cassis was her first official engagement since then, and she held it in person rather than by video.

Queen Elizabeth II during an audience with Switzerland's President Ignazio Cassis (C) and his wife Paola Cassis. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/AFP

Smiling broadly for photographs with Mr Cassis and his wife Paola, the queen stood without her walking stick, after complaining of mobility problems in recent months.

Mr Cassis met separately with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the leaders agreed a joint statement to work towards a UK-Swiss trade deal after Britain’s Brexit departure from the European Union.

Mr Johnson’s government prorogued parliament on Thursday, local time, ahead of local elections on May 5.

A new session of parliament will convene on May 10 — normally a grand state occasion when the queen presents her government’s forthcoming legislative agenda.

Aides have said the queen’s attendance at the state opening of parliament will only be confirmed nearer the time, after she was forced to miss a traditional Easter service.

Queen Elizabeth II during an audience with Switzerland's President in an in-person appearance without walking stick or mobility support. Picture: Dominic Lipinski / AFP

Elizabeth has missed only two state openings during her long reign, in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and then Prince Edward.

It comes as the Queen has dismissed Prince Harry’s vow to “protect” his grandmother by quietly seeking to hire new security experts.

Earlier this month the Duke of Sussex told NBC how he wants to “protect” the Queen by ensuring she has the “right people” around her.

According to The Sun, royal author Richard Eden says the royal household is quietly seeking to recruit a new “physical and technical security adviser”.

Queen Elizabeth II has apparently rebuffed Prince Harry’s claims to be “protecting” her by seeking her own security arrangements. Picture: Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Writing in the Mail, Eden says the Palace “advertised for the £50,000-per-year position ($A88,000) on the royal website, stressing that the successful candidate must have “a good, current knowledge of national and international security”.

He added: “The adviser will be based at Buckingham Palace, but shall review security across all royal residences, including the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh and Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.

Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II at Royal Ascot. Prince Harry recently said he would “protect” the Queen. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

“They will be expected to work with the Home Office, Metropolitan Police and Homeland Security, too.”

Meanwhile, it was claimed Prince Andrew is the reason Harry fears the Queen needs protection, Buckingham Palace aides reportedly believe.

It is understood the Duke of Sussex, 37, was furious at seeing his disgraced uncle walking by Her Majesty’s side at Prince Philip’s memorial.