Royal family 'wearied' by ongoing 'soap opera' surrounding Prince Harry

The plot thickens

The royal family have been at loggerheads with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ever since they decided to leave the royal family and quit their royal duties in 2020.

A divide widened when Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40 - who have son Archie and daughter Lilibet together - took aim at the royal family in their tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview.

In recent weeks Harry has snubbed a whole host of royal engagements, including the Commonwealth ceremony and his late grandfather's memorial service, in favour of attending the Invictus Games in Holland.

Just last week the royal flew to the UK to visit his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, for a private meeting regarding her protection.

Speaking earlier this week to NBC about his visit to London, Harry said he wanted to make sure the Queen "is protected and got the right people around her."

He said: "She's always got a great sense of humour with me and I'm just making sure that she's protected and got the right people around her. Both Meghan and I had tea with her, so it was really nice to catch up with her. We have a really special relationship, we talk about things that she can't talk about with anybody else."

But the entire ordeal has enraged members of the royal family, who are fed up and said to be "wearied" by the "never ending soap opera" surrounding Harry and interviews he gives slamming his relatives, the Mail Online has reported.

Her Majesty celebrated her 96th Birthday this week with a low-key affair, as she stayed at her 20,000 Norfolk estate and was visited by close friend Angela Kelly.

While the Queen opted for a moment to herself, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge dodged questions following Prince Harry's claims around the Queen's safety on their royal outing.

Harry's father, Prince Charles, is "weary" of the ongoing slants fired at the royal family, though a separate source told the Mail Online he was pleased to see his son.

The three royal households are said to have met and agreed to not enter into a "public slanging match", as royal correspondent Rebecca English describes, because it is "pointless and undignified". But to also keep lines of communication open with Harry for the sake of the British monarch.