Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may never be forgiven for the emotional toll their departure from royal life took on Queen Elizabeth II during her final years, according to royal biographer Phil Dampier.
Speaking on The Sun’s Exclusive show, Dampier reflected on the Queen’s lifelong dedication to the monarchy and suggested that the controversies surrounding her grandson and his wife caused her significant distress in her final chapter.
“I just think that she worked her whole life trying to make sure that the monarchy succeeded after her. And the legacy was the most important thing to her and the Commonwealth, of course, as well,” Dampier began, praising the late monarch’s unwavering commitment to duty.
He went on to note how deeply upsetting it must have been for Queen Elizabeth to witness the turmoil within her family as her life drew to a close. “It must have been absolutely heartbreaking for her to see what was happening with Prince Andrew and what was happening with Harry and Meghan leaving in her final years,” he said.
Dampier acknowledged the strain the Queen was under as she grieved the death of her husband, Prince Philip, and faced a series of scandals and personal blows. “To cope with that as she was approaching the end, and Prince Philip died, and all this happened right at the end of her life, I think it must have been absolutely heartbreaking for her,” he explained.
While Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in early 2020, the rift between the couple and the royal family deepened in the years that followed, particularly after their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey and the release of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.
Dampier believes this lingering pain left by their departure is something the public, and possibly even the institution itself, may never fully move past. “That’s probably the thing that people won’t forgive Harry and Meghan for — making her last years a bit of a misery,” he said.
Though Meghan and Harry have spoken publicly about the personal struggles and reasons behind their decision to step away from royal life, their critics argue that the timing and manner of their departure brought unnecessary turmoil to the Queen’s final years.
As the royal family continues to evolve under King Charles III’s reign, the shadow of these strained final chapters still lingers — and, as Dampier suggests, forgiveness may remain elusive for some.