Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly “exhausted” by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle’s decision to step away from their royal duties.

Vanity Fair shared an excerpt from “The New Royals” by author and royal expert Katie Nicholl, detailing the Queen’s struggle with their decision.

“The queen, who was deeply hurt by Harry’s decision to leave his family and the country, nonetheless ensured the door was always open for her grandson and his wife and children to return. For now Frogmore House is still theirs,” Nicholl wrote.

However, the Queen reportedly “made it clear that if Harry and Meghan chose to leave, they could not reap the benefits of being royal.”

Nicholl continued, “And according to a friend, privately the queen confided that she was exhausted by the turmoil of their decision. ‘She was very hurt and told me, ‘I don’t know, I don’t care, and I don’t want to think about it anymore,’ says that person.”

Additionally, Nicholl reported “it was a source of sadness to the queen that she got to see so little of Archie and Lilibet and that Harry and Meghan were not able to join her for a weekend at Balmoral in August, when the queen used to host a ”sleepover’ for all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

According to Nicholl, the relationship between King Charles III and Prince Harry also caused stress for the Queen.

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“Charles is said to desperately want to reconcile with his son Harry, but it remains to be seen if the rift which caused the queen so much upset will ever be truly resolved,” Nicholl wrote.

It was reported in 2020 that the couple would officially transition out of their roles as senior members of the royal family on March 31 of that year.

The Queen issued a statement in support of the couple at the time.

“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” the statement said.

The Queen added, “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.”

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Prince Harry’s first public statement since the announcement came during a dinner for supporters of his charity.

“What I want to make clear is, we’re not walking away,” he said.

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Prince Harry explained, “I’ve accepted this knowing that it doesn’t change who I am or how committed I am. But I hope that helps you understand what it had come to—that I would step my family back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life.”