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After finding their freedom at last, Harry and Meghan have never appeared more trapped

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dropped their "Megxit" bombshell seven months ago, all hell broke loose behind palace gates.

With the couple having blindsided the Queen by releasing their shock sayonara on Instagram, aides were thrown into such a frenzy that there were reports of courtiers holding a phone to each ear in scenes akin to a trading floor at the height of a financial crash.

Yet as The Firm's major shareholders take stock of the fallout from the serialisation of "Finding Freedom", a sympathetic biography of Harry and Meghan seemingly written with their blessing (something the couple have denied), the mood in the gilt-edged corridors of royal power appears surprisingly relaxed.

Although there have been several conference calls among advisers over the weekend, the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are understood to have barely registered a reaction to the much-hyped book by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, apparently viewing the already familiar "revelations" as yesterday's news.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dropped their 'Megxit' bombshell seven months ago - Richard Pohle
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dropped their 'Megxit' bombshell seven months ago - Richard Pohle

The sense of nonchalance is partly down to coronavirus, which has put the events of January 2020 into sharp perspective, with thousands having died in Britain during a pandemic that has reshaped the entire world order.

But as the Sussexes have struggled to establish themselves Stateside, for the rest of the Royal Family, life – and a new way of working – has continued at pace.

Harry and Meghan, pictured in London in March - Mark Cuthbert/UK Press
Harry and Meghan, pictured in London in March - Mark Cuthbert/UK Press

Even while in self-isolation with Prince Philip, 99, at Windsor Castle, the Queen has carried on dealing with the contents of her red boxes, maintaining regular contact with the Prime Minister and Commonwealth heads of government.

She has even managed to attend a mini Trooping the Colour and Princess Beatrice's wedding and knighted Sir Tom Moore. As Harry and Meghan have learned to their chagrin, the wheels of monarchy never stop turning, regardless of the obstacles placed in its path.

So where do the latest brickbats leave relations between the couple and the House of Windsor they left behind?

Described as "exhausted" by the saga rather than angry, sources close to Prince William appear bewildered by the claim in "Finding Freedom" that Harry took offence at the "snobbishness" of his brother advising him to "take as much time as you need to know this girl".

They claim the comment was never intended to be pejorative but instead was a reflection of William (and Kate's) genuine desire to look after impetuous Harry’s best interests.

Indeed, The Telegraph has learned that one of Harry's closest friends issued a far stronger warning, using much more colourful language – reflecting, perhaps, the cynicism of the British aristocracy in the face of whirlwind romances under canvas and talk of "love at first sight".

The forthright friend – for years one of Harry's "besties" – soon found himself frozen out of the Sussexes' inner circle as the couple increasingly adopted an "us against the rest of the world" approach to both their private and professional endeavours.

Although the Royal brothers have remained in touch during the lockdown, insiders admit they are nowhere near as close as they used to be. It is unlikely William will be best pleased with the "Finding Freedom" suggestion that his innately shy wife was not welcoming enough towards Meghan, failing to "check in on her during the most difficult times with the press".

Friends point out the introverted Duchess's natural lack of effusiveness was never intended to appear cold and was largely down to her preoccupation with a newborn, a toddler and a son and heir just about to start primary school.

The Queen is understood to have invited the Sussexes to Balmoral this summer - Pool/Samir Hussein
The Queen is understood to have invited the Sussexes to Balmoral this summer - Pool/Samir Hussein

The Queen is understood to have invited the Sussexes to Balmoral this summer, but it is thought "highly unlikely" that they will make the journey from Los Angeles, where they are currently holed up in a borrowed Beverly Hills mansion they claim is being besieged by paparazzi.

Some are beginning to question when – or indeed if – the Queen and Prince Philip will see Archie, their youngest great-grandchild, again.

The Cambridges plan to travel to the Scottish highlands for a weekend with "Granny" next month before returning to London to resume something resembling a pre-coronavirus royal diary of engagements in September.

Ironically, while the more outgoing Harry and Meghan have struggled to find their true identity in the US, the Covid-19 crisis has helped the Cambridges to work out exactly who they are – and what they need to do. Unlike the Sussexes, there is no need for reinvention, which ironically makes them freer than they've ever been.

This week, William will throw himself into his Heads Up mental health campaign with the Football Association, proving that, despite all the distractions, it remains business as usual.

Although Harry had planned to make several trips back to the UK this year, any travel plans are currently on hold. It is not thought that Meghan will return to Britain for the foreseeable future.

The door has been left ajar for the couple to re-evaluate their decision next March, but at this stage it is thought any future negotiations will take place over email, rendering a second "Sandringham summit" surplus to requirements.

So as the Royal Family continues to look to the future, the Sussexes remain somewhat stuck in the past. "People just want them to be happy," insisted one well-placed source. "But this book doesn't paint a particularly happy picture."

Having finally found their freedom, it seems the Sussexes have never appeared more trapped.

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