‘A really hard decision’: Prince Edward speaks on Sussexes stepping back saying ‘that’s families for you’

The Queen’s youngest son also reflected on the death of his father Prince Philip earlier this year

(Getty Images)

Prince Edward has opened up about his thoughts on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepping down from their senior roles in the royal family.

In March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back as working members of the family and moved to California with their son, Archie.

On 4 June, Harry and Meghan welcomed a baby girl - Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor - named after both her late grandmother, Princess Diana, and her great grandmother, The Queen.

Since their departure, they have been more critical of the royal family, most notably in their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March where they said they felt compelled to leave because of press intrusion and their poor mental health.

Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest son, said in an interview with CNN that the situation was “very sad”.

The Earl of Wessex said: “Listen, weirdly we’ve all been there before. We’ve all had excessive intrusion and attention in our lives.

“And we’ve all dealt with it in slightly different ways, and listen, we wish them the very best of luck. It’s a really hard decision.”

During the Winfrey interview, Meghan revealed she had experienced suicidal thoughts and Harry said comments had been made about how dark their child’s skin might be before Archie was born.

Prince Edward said he hoped they were happy and put any rifts between his nephew and the rest of the royals down to them being a normal family.

He said: “It’s difficult for everyone but that’s families for you.”

The Earl of Wessex also spoke about his father, Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99 on 9 April.

The funeral service, held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, was attended by just 30 guests due to coronavirus restrictions.

Edward reflected, saying: “It was an experience that so many other families have had to go through during this past year or 18 months and so in that sense, it was particularly poignant.

“There are an awful lot of people who haven’t been able to express the respect that they would like to have done.

“I think many people would have liked to have been there to support the Queen.”