The Queen will be the ‘person most upset’ by Harry and Meghan’s new biography as it opens ‘old wounds’, sources claim

a source close to the royal family said: “It's going to open old wounds at a time when everyone wanted to move on.

“I think the person who will be most upset about it all is the Queen.”

The book also claims that the Queen was left "blindsided" when Harry and Meghan began mapping out their new roles without her approval.

The launch of the website SussexRoyal designed to clarify Harry and Meghan's future was "deeply upsetting" to members of the royal family and "hurt the Queen" as she had not given her input.

The Sussexes considered the extreme measure of breaking royal protocol to contact the Queen as tensions grew in the royal family, according to the shocking new book.

It was unclear how the Sussexes' finances would work once they separated from the royal family, with the book saying courtiers claimed Harry's position was completely unrealistic amid Megxit.

Finding Freedom also claims the Sussexes even considered breaking protocol by springing a surprise visit on the Queen when they believed they were being blocked from seeing the monarch.

Its authors describe a culture of increasing tension between the Sussexes and other members of the royal family.

The Sussexes apparently felt their complaints were not taken seriously and believed other royal households were leaking stories about them to the press.

"There were just a handful of people working at the palace they could trust," the authors write.

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the pair did not contribute to Finding Freedom, but he did not deny the content of The Times's extracts.

The spokesman told the PA news agency: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

"This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting."

Sensational claims made in Finding Freedom include:

• Harry called William 'a snob' for the way he spoke about Meghan
• Meghan and Harry felt "cut adrift" and were frustrated at Prince William and Kate Middleton getting the 'plum' jobs
• The former actress moaned she had given up her life for the Royal Family
• Prince Harry compared fronting up to the royal institution to being in front of a firing squad
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were frustrated the Queen would not meet them earlier to discuss their demands
• Meghan was dubbed Harry's "showgirl" who "comes with a lot of baggage" by senior royals