Prince Philip told an aide “we were wrong about her all along” after discovering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had quit the Royal Family, a top author has claimed.
The late Duke of Edinburgh is also claimed to have been "spitting blood" after learning about the couple's plan to step back and leave the UK behind.
Christopher Andersen, author of Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, says he went straight to the Queen to express his “anger”.
The Daily Star report that Philip saw red after the couple decided to go public without informing the family first.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stunned the world in January 2020 when they announced they will step back as "senior" royals and work to become financially independent on Instagram.
No other royal - including the Queen or Prince William - were consulted before the bombshell statement as Buckingham Palace spoke of its "disappointment".
In the book, the aide revealed Philip had no knowledge of the social media platform but was “furious, deeply hurt, spitting blood” when he learned of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s joint announcement.
According to the aide, Philip shouted “this shows a complete lack of respect” as he told the Queen of his anger.
The book also claims both Philip and his son Charles had a warm relationship with Meghan but their view eventually changed.
Andersen wrote the senior royals now viewed Meghan as a twenty-first-century Wallis Simpson – the American socialite who married the Duke of Windsor, former King Edward VIII after he abdicated in order to be with her more than 80 years ago.
Philip then confided in one of his closest aides that: “It appears as if, we were wrong about her all along.”
The Duke of Edinburgh was not the only male royal who was angry by Harry and Meghan’s announcement.
As revealed in Andersen’s book, according to Charles’ staff, the Prince of Wales’ reaction to the statement was “frightening”.
He allegedly had a phone conversation with Harry and told him to “try and fix this”, the book claims.
Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
The Palace has previously stated regarding the book: "We don’t comment on books of this kind as to do so risks giving it some form of authority or credibility."
