The royal family is said to be “hurt” and “deeply disappointed” by the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are stepping back as “senior” members of the firm, with sources saying the announcement was completely unsanctioned.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on Wednesday night on their Instagram account that they are making plans to “transition” to “a new progressive role”.

Claiming that they will become financially independent, the woke couple said in a statement that they would be dividing their time between the UK and North America — speculatively Canada, where Meghan, a former TV star, had lived and worked for many years.

Royal sources have revealed that rather than the announcement being sanctioned by the royal family, it was made without the consultation of the Monarch, Prince Charles the Prince of Wales, or Prince William the Duke of Cambridge.

Sources speaking to BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said that the Windsors were “hurt” and “deeply disappointed”. Mr Dymond revealed that the “BBC understands that no other member of the Royal Family was consulted before Harry and Meghan issued their personal statement tonight, the Palace is understood to be ‘disappointed’.”

He added: “A palace source tells the BBC that senior members of the Royal family feel ‘hurt’ by the announcement that Harry and Meghan are to withdraw from their current Royal roles. The source confirmed that no members of the royal family were consulted.”

Buckingham Palace said in a terse statement last night: “We understand their desire to take a different approach but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

Sources speaking to The Telegraph also said that the royal household was particularly taken aback after having only been made aware of Harry and Meghan’s wishes “very recently”.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Want Eco Charity to Underwrite New ‘Caring and Sharing’ Role https://t.co/FudhfEvsrV — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 9, 2020

Another royal source told the Daily Mail: “It’s deeply unfair to the Queen who doesn’t deserve to be treated this way. It is a shoddy way to treat her. The family understands that they want to do something different and is perfectly willing to help them. People are just devastated.”

A second aide told the tabloid: “People had bent over backwards for them. They were given the wedding they wanted, the house they wanted, the office they wanted, the money they wanted, the staff they wanted, the tours they wanted and had the backing of their family. What more did they want?”

The Mail was also told that 38-year-old Meghan and 35-year-old Harry had “secretly plotted” the surprise announcement during their six-week vacation in Canada, and had planned to launch a separate website from that of the other Royals to coincide with the change.

The couple said that they would plan to be “financially independent”, suggesting they would find some kind of work. While no longer receiving the sovereign grant, they would accept money from the Prince of Wales.

Undertaking far fewer royal duties, they will still be keeping Frogmore Cottage as an English base, which British taxpayers paid 2.4 million to renovate, and they would retain their police protection, also to come out of Britons’ purses.