Palace visitors share sympathies over Harry and Meghan’s decision to quit

There was sympathy, sadness and a little frustration from people outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday morning over the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were quitting as senior members of the royal family.

Mindy Lefurg, 51, from Iowa in the United States, said that Meghan “knew what her duties were” when she married into the royal family but added she has the “right to want a happy and normal life”.

Mrs Lefurg, who used to work in retail banking, said: “From what you can see of the pressures they face, it all seems to date back to his (Harry’s) mother and her death.

“You can understand why he might want a more normal life for his family and for himself but I think if they had stayed here and given it more time, things would have calmed down.”

Susan Deokie, an office administrator from Toronto, Canada, predicted there would be a warm welcome for the royal couple in her homeland, but that the mood could shift if Canadians have to fund the Sussexes’ security bill.

She said: “It would not be fair for them to pay the bill. We are all living through a recession and job security is not guaranteed.”

Staying she has “mixed feelings” about the Sussex situation, she added: “I think he (Harry) needs to find some normality which he has never had, but he has a duty and needs to give the public what it wants.

“Living in Canada would be great for them. They could have a normal life with their baby Archie and they would not be hounded by the press.”