Queen in a 'lonely place' as family protects Prince Philip from Harry and Meghan drama

Queen Elizabeth II reportedly finds herself "incredibly lonely" as she deals with the aftermath of her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey without the support of her husband Prince Philip.

The controversial interview aired at a time when the Queen was already focused on the health of Prince Philip who was getting treated at the hospital for an unknown infection and heart ailment. The Duke of Edinburgh reunited with his wife a few days after the programme was released, but was reportedly protected from the worst of it as he recovered from his month-long hospitalisation.

According to a report in People, this left some extra responsibilities for the British monarch who doesn't "want a family conflict at this stage of her reign." A royal source said: "She is always head of the country and Prince Philip was always head of the family. He is not there to be that—so everything is falling on to her shoulders. It must be an incredibly lonely place to be."

In the tell-all, Harry and Meghan criticised the "institution" but said wonderful things about the Queen. However, many in palace circles believe that their complaints can't be separated from the Queen as she is the head of that institution.

Nonetheless, the 94-year-old and the rest of the British royal family are intent on not worrying Prince Philip about the magnitude of the recent troubles. A source told Us Weekly: "He obviously knows about Harry and Meghan's interview, but the queen, (Prince) Charles and (Prince) William are trying to avoid overwhelming him with their problems so are keeping their conversations with him about the aftermath light."

The Queen has been busy working and carrying out crisis meetings since the interview, but reportedly says "it's nice to have her husband back."

Harry and Meghan had themselves faced criticism for airing the interview while the Duke was undergoing treatment in his longest hospital stay ever. CBS anchor Gayle King, a friend of the couple, later revealed that they had an agreement with the network to not air it in case the worst happened to the royal.

"If something, God forbid, had happened to him, the interview would not have run at this particular time. But the interview was done and was scheduled before he went into the hospital. But a lot of people have raised that point," King said.