The late Queen Elizabeth II was devasted when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their senior royal roles back in 2020.
According to royal commentator Ingrid Seward, the late Queen had hoped her grandson and his wife would prove to be a big asset to make the monarchy relevant to the younger generation alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The late Queen had hoped that William and Kate would be able to take on a more "professional" crowd.
"[Prince Harry] always ‘got it’ and provided great cheer to those he met on official royal engagements. And so did Meghan," Seward noted.
The expert noted that the late matriarch thought the couple had universal appeal. "She smiled, pressed flesh and hugged the public in an all-embracing way. They were a perfect foil for William and Kate, who were polished and professional but still full of laughter."
She continued, “The Queen had high hopes that the foursome might spearhead the monarchy of the future. Sharing the sometimes demanding, duller duties and supporting their father into the future when she was no longer around.”
Speaking to Mirror, Seward noted that all went ‘downhill’ as "the woes of the world and their lives took over."
Marking the Queen’s first death anniversary this week, Harry honoured grandmother in his speech for the WellChild awards. The next day he was spotted leaving the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which sits within the walls of St George's Chapel in Windsor.
He was alone when paying his respects whereas the rest of the Royal Family put up a united front together. After this, he flew off to Germany.
Meghan, however, was back home in Montecito, California, with her two children.