Queen and Prince Philip were 'disappointed' by Harry and Meghan: Here's why

Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip were reportedly "disappointed" by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's absence from an important family event, a royal expert has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 and moved to the US, spent an extended Christmas break in Canada ahead of their exit.

Richard Kay, royal expert and columnist told the 2022 Channel 5 documentary ‘Harry & Meghan Vs The Monarchy’: “Christmas is a very, very important part in the Queen’s calendar. She likes to draw her family around her.

“She and Prince Philip were getting older. They knew that there wouldn’t be too many more Christmases and they must have been disappointed.”

Relationship psychologist Anjula Muntanda suggested that the Sussexes may have wanted to remove themselves from a situation that they found “difficult and painful”.

Speaking about the couple’s six-week break, Ms Muntanda said: “What you do sometimes, psychologically for yourself, is you remove yourself from a situation that you find difficult and painful, and put yourself in a space that you feel might be more nurturing and safe and secure.”

Prince Philip's funeral was the first time Harry returned to the UK following his exit — the Duke of Sussex visited again to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana. Earlier this month, it emerged that he won’t be returning for the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service.