Edward VIII praises Queen Elizabeth II's reign in 1969

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Princess Margaret struggled to live in the shadows of her elder sister, as she sought to come to terms with her role as the  so-called “heir and spare”. It is a situation that Prince Harry also faced as younger brother to future king, William. Royal author Andrew Morton told Vanity Fair the Queen was determined to stop fate repeating itself.

Mr Morton, who has just finished his new book ‘Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters’, said: “She has always wanted to protect Harry and I think in part that’s because she watched Margaret fall victim to the system.

“Shutting out Margaret didn’t help and the Queen has learned from that.

“She didn’t want history to repeat itself with Harry.”

The British monarch has always publicly supported Harry in his decisions.

She allowed him to be deployed in Afghanistan and appeared in a spoof video to help promote his Invictus Games for wounded military personnel.

When Harry and Meghan decided to quit the Royal Family, Her Majesty graciously consented, acknowledging the difficulties they had faced.

In a statement, she said: “I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.”

She then added: “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.”

The Duke of Sussex revealed in his interview with Oprah Winfrey that he had been “trapped” within the royal institution.

He said that his marriage to Meghan had helped liberate him from his predicament.

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However, Harry said that both his father and brother remained prisoners within the system.

He said: “My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave.

“And I have huge compassion for that.”

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