"The Queen learnt from mishandling Diana to give in to Harry and Meghan"

14 January 2020, 17:40

The Queen has learnt from "mishandling Diana" to "give in" to Harry and Meghan's request to step back as senior royals, said royal author.

Margaret Holder congratulated the Queen for "taking charge" during the Prince Andrew crisis recently and "realised her legacy depends on this and how she sorts out these crisis."

"She learnt from the Diana situation. She mishandled Diana. Diana was the jewel in the crown and she should've been protected. I honestly think if the Queen had had the character of her father, the character of her grandfather, she'd have packed off the Parker-Bowles to some distant territory... to let Charles and Diana stay together.

"Then she took away her HRH title which was not popular," Ms Holder said, "it's a different situation now and I think she is grasping the situation in her hands."

"She's giving in to Harry and Meghan because she has no choice. The subtle threat is that if she didn't give in they'd go nuclear, or Meghan would go nuclear, with her powerful friends.

"She would start telling royal secrets or would start giving her interpretation of what she thinks has happened. That would be an embarrassment to the Royal Family and to the Queen," Ms Holder said.

Diana was the "jewel in the crown" of the Royal Family, said Ms Holder. Picture: PA

After yesterday's royal meeting, dubbed the Sandringham summit, Her Majesty the Queen released the following statement:

"My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.

"Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.

"Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.

"It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.

"These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days."