King Charles, Kate Middleton shocked by Harry, Meghan's explosive decision

King Charles III and Princess Kate are said to be not behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive decision.

A former royal butler has shared his knowledge about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal life as he explained why the couple left the royal family, in a new TV show.

Speaking on the Channel 5 show, she said: "I think that started to sour things (lack of privacy after Archie's birth) and then of course it's easy to add the moniker that they're entitled, they're going to do it their way, they're difficult, they're not playing the royal game.

"I think there was definitely the sense that the pressure is building, cracks were starting to show and that there was a friction."

Former royal butler Paul Burrell also weighed in on the couple's decision, discussing the couple's behaviour following Archie's birth.

Burrell, who was close to Princess Diana, commented: "Why didn't they want to show the world their joy? They're retreating, they're pulling back. That's when I thought it was going wrong."

"I never personally thought they would pull the plug. But when they did it was shocking. In this great soap opera that is the Royal Family, it was one of the most remarkable episodes of all time. In retrospect the clues were always there," CNN commentator Sandro Monetti reflected on the couple's departure from Royal duties.

A separate palace source claimed that the late Queen, Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton were all in shock to know that the Sussexes had decided to say goodbye to the royal jobs.