Yesterday, we reported that Prince William was upset about the way his brother Prince Harry and Meghan Markle responded after Queen Elizabeth announced that the couple have officially stepped down from their royal roles following a year-long trial period.

Now, a royal expert is speaking out to offer more details about this situation.

“I think Harry was both surprised and very disappointed to have had all of his military titles and the royal patronages taken away from him,” Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. “This was the end result after many days of discussion and my understanding of the Sussexes’ camp is that both the couple were hoping they would be able to retain those royal patronages.”

“Behind the scenes they tried very hard to convince Palace courtiers that even though they are living private lives out of the royal family that they are still committed philanthropists, who remained committed to the charities and the patronages that they’ve represented for the past couple of years,” she added.

After the Queen made her announcement, Harry responded by issuing a statement saying, “As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role.”

Nicholl said that this did not sit well with William.

“He feels that this statement that the Sussexes put out just moments after Buckingham Palace made the announcement was disrespectful,” Nicholl said of William. “Certainly the feeling at the Palace is that the tone of the email was disrespectful to the monarch. It’s very unusual to hear anyone answer back to the queen, which is essentially, I suppose, what the Sussexes did in that responsive email.”

A source close to William said that he is “very upset by what has happened” and found the couple’s behavior “insulting and disrespectful.”

“You don’t answer the queen back – it’s just not done,” another insider added.

Despite this, however, friends of the brothers still believe that they will be able to mend their relationship.

“It’s still raw,” a friend of William’s said. “He’s very upset by what has happened, though absolutely intent that he and Harry’s relationship will heal in time.”