Prince Charles’ biographer Tom Bower spoke out on Monday, and accused Meghan of trying to “commercialise” the royal family.
He also described the statement from the couple, which was posted to their SussexRoyal.com website on Friday, as a “threat” that risked “destroying the 93-year-old sovereign of this wonderful country”, namely, Harry’s grandmother, the Queen.
During a segment on Good Morning Britain, he said: “That statement was spiteful fury by Meghan. Meghan gets what Meghan wants.”
“It was rude to the Queen. What is spiteful is, she married into the royal family not that long ago and she bailed out. But she wants to bail out on her terms.
“What is most important for this country is to protect the reputation of the royal family.”
He went on to say Meghan was taking the lead in the relationship and the couple’s decision to split from the royal family, while profiting by way of association.
“What you’ve really got is this couple being led by Meghan that want to commercialise the royal family,” he said.
The comments come after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex published a ‘Spring 2020 Transition’ statement on Friday, where responded to news that they will no longer be able to use the “Sussex Royal” trademark or the word “royal” in their commercial ventures.
The fact that they will have to wait 12 months before they can seek employment outside of the royal family was also a sore point for the couple.
The bombshell statement read: “While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place.
“Per the agreement The Duke and Duchess of Sussex understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties and not undertake representative duties on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.”
Speaking to The Mirror a royal source said the couple have made it clear they feel they are being treated differently to other royals.
“It’s pretty clear they are referencing minor royals such as Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, which is an odd association to make for two people whose associates were once claiming they had single-handedly modernised the monarchy.”
They added: “We’re witnessing a quite extraordinary turn of events.
“The British people will not stand for two multi-millionaires demanding taxpayer funds after abandoning the country they should be serving.
“The latest series of comments published on the Sussexes’ website comes across as extremely petulant and has caused a great deal of alarm inside the palace.
“This is further evidence of Harry and Meghan further ostracising themselves from the family rather than building bridges.”
Royal insider Richard Fitzwilliams has also spoken out about the Sussexes and revealed that the royal couple are “very, very unhappy with the Queen’s decision”.
Speaking on Sunrise he said that their reactionary statement to the Queen was “an unnecessary potshot at the Queen”.
He said: “They wanted to make a point with this – but did they need to?
“They feel they are being victimised by being put on a 12-month probation.”
Mr Fitzwilliams added: “They wanted to remain part-time working royals. They wanted to be able to use their titles.
“The Queen stepped in with this decision because she had to. Harry should have shown more humility.”
In their statement, the couple also took a swipe at Queen Elizabeth, saying that although she has “no jurisdiction” to stop them using the word ‘royal’ internationally, Harry and Meghan would nonetheless stop using the title.
“While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding the use of the word ‘Royal,’ it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation will not utilise the name ‘Sussex Royal’ or any other iteration of ‘Royal,’” a statement on their website read.
The statement continued: “For the above reason, the trademark applications that had been filed as protective measures and that reflected the same standard trademarking requests as done for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been removed.”
“While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.”