Prince Harry and the Queen Had a "Heart-to-Heart" Before His Final Round of Engagements

• When he arrived in the UK at the beginning of the month, Prince Harry (opens in new tab) was rumored to have gone straight to a meeting with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, at Windsor Castle.
• A source shared details from the conversation with Us Weekly (opens in new tab), describing the encounter as a "heart-to-heart." 
• The Queen's focus during the chat was to make sure Harry doesn't feel "estranged" from the royal family after his and Meghan Markle's royal exit becomes official on March 31.

Prince Harry and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth (opens in new tab), have always shared a special bond. As Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle (opens in new tab), prepare to step back from their duties as senior working royals at the end of the month, the Queen is focused on making sure that special bond doesn't suffer.

A source close to the royals told Us Weekly (opens in new tab) that Harry and the Queen (opens in new tab) sat down together for a "heart-to-heart" when he returned to the United Kingdom on Sunday, March 1, to prep for his final round of royal engagements.

The Queen's goal in the conversation? To make sure Harry knows that his and Meghan's "royal exit" (opens in new tab) doesn't mean they need to (or even should) step back from the family on a personal level.

"The last thing Elizabeth wants is for Harry to feel estranged from his family and she made her feelings clear about this in the meeting," the source explained.

Rumors of the meeting, which took place at Windsor Castle, surfaced almost immediately upon Harry's return to the UK at the beginning of the month, but this is the first the public is hearing of the details of the discussion. The face-to-face chat was the first time Harry and the Queen (opens in new tab) have seen in each other in person since the royal family first met to deal with the immediate fallout from the Sussexes' announcement that they were stepping back from royal life (opens in new tab).

In January, the Queen released a statement on the news (opens in new tab), saying:

"Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family. My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family."

This latest conversation is proof that the Queen really meant it when she said she wants Harry and Meghan to remain a valued part of the family—even if they aren't acting as working royals.

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