Meghan and Harry evicted as part 'deliberate distraction from King's crisis', claims royal commentator
King Charles was accused of shifting attention onto Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
PA
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's order to leave Frogmore may have been deliberately leaked to move attention from King Charles, according to a royal commentator.
Earlier this week it emerged that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been asked to clear out their things from their UK home to make way for Prince Andrew.
The King is thought to have first notified the couple they needed to move in January, but the news did not become public until more than six weeks later.
Royal commentator Afua Hagan claims the timing of the leak suggests the story was deliberately placed to shift attention from the King.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been told to vacate their UK home of Frogmore Cottage
PA
"This has come out because of the real royal story, which was the King’s involvement and discussions with Brexit and Northern Ireland," she told the Express.
"That’s why this has come out, as a distraction."
On Monday the King met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after she agreed a new Brexit deal with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The timing of the meeting sparked anger among some politicians who accused the King of having become too political with the timing of his meeting.
It was viewed as an endorsement of the agreement struck between the UK and EU, despite its controversial nature.
Senior MPs claimed the meeting risked ruining the King's reputation among parts the British public.
News of Meghan and Harry's eviction broke less than 48 hours after the King's meeting.
Hagan added: "Whenever there is something that is potentially embarrassing to someone in the Royal Family they role out Harry and Megan to keep the eyes on them and not on where perhaps the real issue is."
Prince Harry said in his Netflix documentary a 'dirty game' of leaking stories takes place in the Palace
Netflix
Prince Harry accused Buckingham Palace of a "dirty game" in his Netflix documentary last year, claiming officials would regularly leak stories against him to help protect more senior member so the family.
He said: "There's a hierarchy in the family.
"You know, there's leaking, but there's also planting of stories"
In an interview in the US to promote his autobiography, he also accused Camilla of giving stories to the press as part of her campaign to “rehabilitate her image".