‘The only person having a good time is Meghan’, says royal expert

The Duchess of Sussex is ‘the only person that doesn’t seem to be sad’ after she stepped down from the Royal Family with Prince Harry, a royal expert said today.

Arthur Edwards, a photographer who has captured more than 200 royal tours across 120 countries, told ITV’s This Morning that Meghan ‘seems to be having a good time’.

He said Harry’s sadness at the situation came across yesterday in his first public speech since the couple’s decision to quit, at the Ivy Chelsea Garden in London.

Prince Harry at the UK-Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel London today

Arthur Edwards, a photographer who has captured more than 200 royal tours across 120 countries, told ITV's This Morning today that Meghan 'seems to be having a good time'

Arthur Edwards, a photographer who has captured more than 200 royal tours across 120 countries, told ITV’s This Morning today that Meghan ‘seems to be having a good time’

Fellow royal expert Duncan Larcombe also spoke today, telling ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the Queen has effectively told Harry: ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it.’

They were both interviewed today after Harry told how he and his wife were standing down from the Royal Family with ‘great sadness’, but there was ‘no other option’.

Harry said they had hoped to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth and his military associations, without any public funding, but this was not possible.

Mr Edwards said: ‘From that speech last night, Harry’s sadness came over. Harry’s sad, the Queen’s sad, Prince of Wales is sad, I’m sad, but they’re still going ahead with it.

Mr Edwards appeared on ITV's This Morning today with Telegraph associate editor Camilla Tominey (second right) and hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby (both left)

Mr Edwards appeared on ITV’s This Morning today with Telegraph associate editor Camilla Tominey (second right) and hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby (both left)

‘The only person that doesn’t seem to be sad and seems to be having a good time is Meghan, and I think she has driven this.

‘When Diana, his mother, lost her HRH title, she didn’t go to America or Canada, she got on and worked here. She carried on with her charities and they were huge.

‘The last year of her life we went to Bosnia, we went to Angola on the landmine crusade. That woman just faced up to it, and no one got more hounded by the media than Diana, and yet to the very end she was working for other people.

‘And I think Harry, I think he is sad, I don’t think he really wants to go. I mean, what’s he going to do there? He’s not a showbiz person, he’s not a media star like that.’

Meghan and Harry have already begun a transition phase of living in Canada and the UK.

The duchess is in the Commonwealth country with son Archie, where the Sussexes spent six weeks over the festive period.

The move was agreed by the Queen, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge following the Sussexes’ unprecedented statement released earlier this month.

It is understood the couple will now spend the majority of their time in Canada, with Harry expected to join his wife sometime this week.

Fellow royal expert Duncan Larcombe also spoke out today, telling ITV's Good Morning Britain that the Queen has effectively told Harry: 'You can't have your cake and eat it'

Fellow royal expert Duncan Larcombe also spoke out today, telling ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the Queen has effectively told Harry: ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it’

But Mr Edwards continued: ‘Harry’s a member of the Royal Family, and I’ve watched that boy since he was born, and he’s been an absolutely terrific asset to this family and I think probably the most popular member of the royals.

‘When you’re HRH, when you’re a senior member of the Royal Family, that does count. HRH is only three letters, it means an awful lot here but probably America it doesn’t mean a thing, or Canada.

‘Being the Duke of Sussex is probably a terrific thing for them, but all this argument who’s going to guard them – of course they’ve got to be guarded.

‘He’s a Prince of the Realm, he’s a Prince of Canada, and Archie – if anyone harmed that child because there was no protection, there’d be uproar against Canada.

Mr Larcombe spoke about the situation with Prince Harry to ITV presenter Charlotte Hawkins

Mr Larcombe spoke about the situation with Prince Harry to ITV presenter Charlotte Hawkins

‘So, all these arguments, who’s paying this, who’s paying that – he’s a Prince of the Realm, a Prince of Canada, and they should be guarding him.

‘If he’s going to go, look after him, because we want him back, I want him back, certainly, because I think he’s ace.’ 

The Sussexes keep the style of HRH – His or Her Royal Highness – but the recent statement issued on their behalf said it will no longer be used from the spring ‘as they are no longer working members of the royal family’.

Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was stripped of her HRH in 1996 following her divorce from Charles. 

Mr Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain of his speech last night: ‘Obviously this was an attempt by him to reassure all those charities that he has supported over the years – Sentebale, he helped set that up in 2006 – so few charities mean more to him than that.

‘I think as people wake up and see this this morning, there’ll probably be a lot of people asking with has he done this within 24 hours of the queen releasing the details of – as it’s been dubbed ‘Megxit’.

‘It’s quite an insight perhaps into those discussion at Sandringham this time last week, on Monday last week, when we didn’t know what it was that Harry and Meghan were really pushing for.

The Duchess of Sussex smiles at Victoria International Airport in Canada on January 16

The Duchess of Sussex smiles at Victoria International Airport in Canada on January 16

‘But Harry has alluded there that what they would have liked is for them to be able to be – dare I say– the ‘hokey cokey’ royals, who put their left leg in when it suits and take their left leg out.’

The duke will continue to work with his charities and organisations like the Rugby Football League and Sentebale – his Africa-based charity supporting youngsters with HIV – and the duchess will remain with her good causes.

Harry will give up a Commonwealth role and his three military appointments, the most prominent being Captain General Royal Marines.

All the new arrangements are due to come into effect in the spring and will be reviewed by Buckingham Palace in 12 months.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their visit to Canada House in London on January 7

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their visit to Canada House in London on January 7

Mr Larcombe continued: ‘I saw Saturday’s statement from the Queen as ‘look Harry, you can’t have your cake and eat it’. Clearly, that was the message that Harry received, so he then says – quite strangely, really – ‘we had no other option’.

‘Maybe they didn’t, but they did have another option – they didn’t have to step back from their royal duties. They didn’t want to take it.

‘Clearly there was and there is extreme concern behind the scenes that Harry and Meghan will just go off, be seen as cashing in on that association with the royals without actually having to be part of The Firm, towing the line, making sure their diaries co-ordinate with other royals etc.

‘That’s a really very frightening prospect for the Royal Family, so the fact that they aren’t going to be able to use their HRH title I guess frees them up to do what they want. But Harry, unfortunately mate, you’re always going to be a royal – and therefore they’re always going to be subjected to scrutiny.

‘If they do sign big deals with companies like Netflix and the cheque comes out, people are going to ask ‘well, are they just cashing in on that, and what does it mean, why are they doing this?’ Good luck Harry, I hope it works out for them both.’

In his first public speech since the couple’s decision to step down as senior royals, Harry said yesterday that he wanted his family to have a ‘more peaceful’ life.

The Queen at St Mary the Virgin in Hillington, Norfolk, yesterday to attend a church service

The Queen at St Mary the Virgin in Hillington, Norfolk, yesterday to attend a church service

He added: ‘Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hopeful, and we were here to serve. For those reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this.

‘The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back, is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges.

‘And I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option.

‘What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you.

Crowds watch the changing of the guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace yesterday

Crowds watch the changing of the guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace yesterday

‘Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.’

The duke was speaking at a dinner for supporters of Sentebale – his Africa-based charity supporting youngsters with HIV – at the Ivy Chelsea Garden in London.

It comes a day after royal family talks concluded and the Sussexes announced they will stop carrying out royal duties from the spring, no longer use the title HRH and will repay the taxpayers’ millions spent on their Berkshire home.

But Harry said the couple will continue to lead a life of service, and were taking a leap of faith.

He added: ‘It has been our privilege to serve you, and we will continue to lead a life of service.

‘I will always have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my commander in chief, and I am incredibly grateful to her and the rest of my family, for the support they have shown Meghan and I over the last few months.

‘I will continue to be the same man who holds his country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities and military communities that are so important to me.

‘We are taking a leap of faith – thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step.’

Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell says royals are ‘a very strange family to marry into’ as he defends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 

By Sebastian Murphy-bates For MailOnline

Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell has said that the royals are ‘a very strange family to marry into’ as he defended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.  

Today he told Good Morning Britain today that the Sussexes’ decision to step down wouldn’t affect the family too badly as said he could understand why they quit. 

‘Nobody can understand that world it’s a very strange world,’ he told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid. ‘That is a very strange family to marry into.’

He added: ‘Harry is sixth in line to throne he’s not going to make huge difference to monarchy. 

‘There isn’t a great deal of space for Harry and Meghan so they’re really looking forward to the future.’

But Piers hit back, saying that the couple ‘don’t want to do the boring stuff’ associated with royal duties.

Paul said: ‘It’s very difficult for the outside world to understand what its like to live in a palace. You don’t just marry one person, you marry the whole family.’ He added: ‘She had no idea what she was getting herself into, nobody can.’

Piers said: ‘Oh come off it, she’s a 35-year-old divorcee she knew what she was getting into.’

Paul Burrell is pictured on today's Good Morning Britain discussing the Sussexes' decision to step down

Paul Burrell is pictured on today’s Good Morning Britain discussing the Sussexes’ decision to step down 

As Paul told him about the difficulties Diana faced when she married Charles, Piers said it was a completely different situation due to Diana being a teenager when she met the prince. 

Paul said that he’d recently come across a letter written to him by Diana which had words that should be born in mind as Harry and Meghan make their way in the world. 

‘I saw recently a letter which she wrote to me,’ he said. ‘She wrote to me about her future and she said “I would look up and live and laugh and love” and I think they’re poignant words to send to harry and Meghan.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk