Why Meghan and Harry's statement has been described as 'disrespectful' to the Queen

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially quit royal life on Friday. But their parting statement has since been deemed "disrespectful" to the Monarch, whose husband is currently in hospital.

• The couple confirmed they would not be returning to royal life and were therefore stripped of their royal patronages
• Although the Queen made it clear they are still "much loved" members of the family, Meghan and Harry's response to the Queen's statement has been deemed "horribly disrespectful" by royal insiders
• It follows royal news that Princess Eugenie has revealed the name of her baby boy 

It's been a conversation that's been on the cards for weeks now, but Meghan and Harry have officially confirmed they will not be returning to life as working royals, just days after confirming they were expecting their second baby.

Just hours after Her Majesty announced the "sad news" and confirmed she'd be stripping them of their royal patronages in a statement, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - who recently moved to Santa Barbara - made their own statement. And it's since been branded as "horribly disrespectful" to the Queen.

In a statement, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.

"Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service."

It added, "The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.

"While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family."

Despite knowing their "year of review" was up for negotiation in March, it seems Meghan and Harry may have been taken aback with the Queen's decision to strip them of their titles. And their "barbed" "service is universal" remark has rubbed royal onlookers up the wrong way.

In their own statement, the couple said they are committed to continuing to support the charities they worked for as royals. 

"As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."

The last thing the royals want right now is a public fall-out, but palace insiders have reportedly said the couple's "barbed" statement was "horribly disrespectful" to the Queen, who is no doubt full of worry for her husband, Prince Philip, who remains in hospital.

According to MailOnline, an insider added, "They have made a roaring success of what they set out to do in the US, this independent life. And good luck to them. But you can't have your cake and eat it.

"If your primary role is to serve the head of State and the monarchy, then it’s very hard to do that if you are earning millions on the side.

"That’s philanthropy, not public service. The couple are working with some deserving charities and causes, which is great. It’s just that the model of how they are doing it is different from how the Royal Family do it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta8YZZC7BwM

With Meghan and Harry having landed huge deals with Netflix and Spotify since exiting royal life, the Queen reportedly made it clear that these two lives were incompatible.

With an insider claiming the Queen said, "You work for the monarchy, the monarchy doesn't work for you."

The news comes just days after it was revealed Meghan will do her first sit-down, tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.