Duke of Sussex wants to make sure the Queen is ‘protected’

The Duke Of Sussex says the Queen was “on great form” during their recent meeting but added he wanted to make sure that she was “protected” and had “the right people around her”.

He and his wife Meghan visited the monarch and met with the Prince of Wales in Windsor on Thursday, having flown in from their home in the US before travelling on to The Hague in the Netherlands for the Invictus games.

It is the first time the couple had been seen together publicly on this side of the Atlantic for two years.

Speaking to NBC’s Today show about his meeting with the Queen, he said “Being with her it was great, it was just so nice to see her, she’s on great form.

“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.”

It comes days ahead of the monarch’s 96th birthday on Thursday and just over a year after the funeral of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

Harry said: “Home for me now, for the time being, is in the States and it feels that way.

“We’ve been welcomed with open arms and have such a great community up in Santa Barbara.”

The couple moved to Montecito, California, following their decision to step down as senior royals in 2020, saying they wanted a new life of personal and financial freedom

Harry flew back from California, without Meghan who was heavily pregnant at the time, to attend his grandfather’s funeral in Windsor in April 2021.

He also returned to the UK to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales on July 1 2021 with his brother the Duke of Cambridge.

His full interview with NBC is due to air on Wednesday.