Meghan Markle always had a ‘little plan’ behind royal exit long before 2020 move? Here's what we know

Meghan Markle may have had her exit from the royal family in mind long before it actually happened. Author and royal expert Hugo Vickers has claimed that the Duchess of Sussex had a "little plan" to leave the monarchy well before she and Prince Harry officially stepped back from their roles in 2020. The timing of the departure, however, came as a surprise even to those who expected it. The couple's exit while Queen Elizabeth II was still alive was something few had anticipated.According to Vickers, who appeared on 'The Royalist' podcast, while Meghan's eventual departure was not entirely shocking, the timing of it was. "The only thing which surprised me, because I never thought that she would stay forever, was that she did it in the Queen's reign, in the Queen's lifetime. Because I thought that was not going to happen," he said.According to royal biographer Robert Hardman, the late Queen Elizabeth II was deeply affected by the couple's departure. "As far as the Queen was concerned, Harry and Meghan had everything handed to them but wanted to throw it all away," Hardman told The Telegraph. "She was enormously upset and terribly sad about a wasted opportunity, but she acted decisively."In his book 'Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. In Her Story', Hardman painted a picture of a Queen who had genuinely tried to help Meghan find her footing within the royal family. "She was keen for Meghan to learn the royal ropes," Hardman wrote in a passage obtained by the Daily Mail.A source told Hardman, "The Queen was really wanting to give it a go. She was so sweet, she had brought Meghan a present and tried so hard." Hardman also noted, "The train always left at 11 at night, and the Queen was on the platform to welcome her. They had breakfast together in the morning, and she was always trying to do small things, to show her the ropes and bring her in."