Some royals quietly welcomed Harry & Meghan's exit; Charles won't give them Clarence House as planned

Queen Elizabeth II's official stand on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit as working royals has been that the royal family is unhappy to see them go. However, a new book has claimed that some of the royals "quietly welcomed" the couple's decision.

Andrew Morton, author of Princess Diana's authorised biography "Diana: Her True Story," has added new chapters in his biography of the Duchess of Sussex. In the updated version of "Meghan: A Hollywood Princess," Morton wrote that many in the royal circle found the former American actress "difficult" and therefore were happy to see her go, reports Newsweek.

"It was clear that Meghan had ruffled feathers in the family and that they felt she and Harry were very difficult to deal with. For her part, Meghan found some of its members—not the Queen or Prince Philip—unfriendly and jealous," he explained.

The author added, "At a personal level, then, their departure from Britain was quietly welcomed by some in the Windsor family and their courtiers, but on an institutional level it was a heavy blow."

Morton also suggested that Prince William was happy with his brother and sister-in-law's buffer period before they announced their exit, which gave grounds to some speculations about them leaving and cushioned the blow. The Sussexes had spent Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays in 2019 with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland in Canada before they made the announcement in January 2020. The couple had reportedly already started negotiations regarding their new roles during the trip from which they only returned in March to carry a final round of engagements.

Morton wrote, "Like many others, Prince William breathed a sigh of relief when Harry and Meghan announced that they were stepping back from royal duties for six weeks or so and spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in North America. The couple ended up in a remote luxury mansion on Vancouver Island loaned to them by a patriotic Canadian businessman. Palace aides, who had been urging the couple to slow down, were pleased to see them take a breath."

Meanwhile, Prince Charles has reportedly been considering a change in his plans to give his Clarence House residence to Harry and Meghan when he becomes King and moves to Buckingham Palace. As the Sussexes have established a new home in California with their children Archie and Lilibet, the heir apparent wants to save Clarence House for his grandchildren through William and Kate- Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.