Many are outraged today after it was revealed that Prince Harry informed his grandmother Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the royals of his decision to step down as a senior member of the royal family with his wife Meghan Markle via email.

A palace source opened up to Daily Mail about Harry and Meghan’s departure, saying that those in the royal family and staffers in the palace see his decision as a shame for everyone involved.

“It didn’t have to be like this,” the source said while describing what he claims is the couple’s “complete self-absorption.”

“The trouble is that they are so obstinate, stubborn and convinced of the righteousness of their cause, that even if Harry privately regretted it, he wouldn’t want to lose faith and admit they were wrong,” the source said.

Another insider who had previously been a great admirer of Harry’s said that the former royal “has given up everything, literally everything. He has burnt every single bridge back at home. And ­Meghan? Well I rather think she’s got what she wanted…”

Insiders firmly believe that it was Meghan who led Harry away from his family, as she felt she was mistreated by the royal family from the very beginning. Staffers with the royals, however, believe that this is blatantly untrue.

“People had bent over backwards,” one staffer said. “They were given the wedding they wanted, house they wanted, office they wanted, the money they wanted, staff they wanted, tours they wanted and had the backing of their family. What more did they want?”

Nevertheless, nothing could satisfy Meghan and Harry, who started to feel like they were being used by the royals.

“They felt that the institution only wanted to trot them out to exploit their popularity when convenient,” another insider said of the couple. “Otherwise it wanted to constrain because it was jealous and threatened by their popularity.”

Harry and Meghan reportedly spent months “plotting” a life for themselves outside of the United Kingdom. When it finally came time to inform the royal family, Harry decided to forgo telling them in person: instead, he informed his father Prince Charles and the Queen via email. Understandably, the royals were shocked, and they urged Harry not to rush into anything.

“They understood that he and Meghan wanted something different and were willing to help but it was complicated,” a source said. “There were issues like security and funding, visas and tax, which neither of them had thought through. Harry was told to put his request in writing and come up with some ideas. He thought his family were stonewalling and decided to push the nuclear button.”

Those close to Harry tried to stop him from going public, but he was too “stubborn, blinkered and bitter to see sense,” so he released a bombshell statement without telling the Queen first. It didn’t take long for this to backfire on him.

“Her Majesty was shocked. People were angry the Queen had been so disrespected,” an insider said.

While the dust has settled a bit in the months since then, palace insiders say that much damage has been done by Harry and Meghan.

“The Queen doesn’t deserve to be treated in this way,” the source said. “It’s easy to say Harry and Meghan have made their bed, let them lie in it. But what they have done will have ramifications for possibly generations to come.”

Social media users have expressed outrage at news of how Harry treated the Queen throughout this scandal.

“H is a nasty piece of work. His mother would be furious with him,” one user commented, with another adding, “Meghan’s plans are coming to fruition. One can see who is wear the trousers. Meghan speaks and Harry jumps.”

“They are absolute liars and hypocrites,” a third user wrote. “It is time H and his successors are removed from the line of succession.”

Harry and Meghan have since moved to North America, and they are reportedly looking for homes in Los Angeles, California. While they may be happy to be away from the royals now, it remains to be seen whether their decision will pay off for them down the road.