Senior members of the Royal Family are said to be disappointed and ‘hurt’ at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to quit their current roles and gain financial independence.

 The pair said they will now split their time between the UK and North America ‘while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen’. The mood at Buckingham Palace was said to be ‘one of disappointment’ while the BBC has reported senior royals as being ‘hurt’ by the announcement.

 It is understood Harry and Meghan had just begun talks with the Queen and Charles about their future roles when they made their decision to go public, posting their shock statement on Instagram. Buckingham Palace responded to the news with its own statement saying: “Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

 It’s understood the Queen was only recently informed of Harry and Meghan’s future plans and was not aware the statement was due to be issued.

A huge motivation for the couple was their eight-month-old baby Archie, who they said they wished to raise “with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter”.

The move comes less than two years after their marriage at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle in May 2018. Since then, both Harry and Meghan have faced harsh criticism over their use of private jets – taking four in 11 days last summer.

 They have also been slammed for spending £2.4m of public money on the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, their Berkshire home, where it is understood they will continue to spend their time when in the UK.

The Sussex’s financial aims have been outlined on their official website which states the couple “…value the ability to earn a professional income, which in the current structure they are prohibited from doing. For this reason they have made the choice to become members of the royal family with financial independence.”

 Any future role which the couple take on for financial gain will have to be scrutinised to ensure they are not seen as profiteering from their position as members of the monarchy. Harry and Meghan’s announcement came weeks after Prince Andrew stepped down from Royal duties amid the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal and his disastrous TV interview on the matter.