They shocked the country and even their own family by announcing plans to ‘step back’ from official royal duties.

Prince Harry and Meghan’s controversial decision has been met with a widespread backlash from across the country and has even upset the Queen.

The monarch is said to be “hurt” and “deeply disappointed” after the couple failed to consult senior members of the royal household before releasing their statement that they would split their time between the UK and North America.

Buckingham Palace was “blindsided” as talks about their future had begun but were in very early stages and said there were “complex issues” to work through.

READ MORE: Harry and Meghan to 'step back' as senior royals

The Queen has directed all four royal households to find “workable solutions” within “days not weeks”.

It was also reported that Meghan on Wednesday flew back to Canada, where the couple’s eight-month old son, Archie, had been left with his nanny. She may stay there “for the foreseeable future” as Prince Harry faces criticism over their announcement, according to The Daily Mail.

Now there are calls for them to be stripped of their royal titles and for taxpayer-funded security to be axed. Harry has been accused of “petulance and hot-headedness” in his decision not to talk with family before the bombshell was dropped.

In their statement, shared the day before the Duchess of Cambridge’s 38th birthday, they said they had made the decision “after many months of reflection and internal discussions”.

But their intentions “to step back as senior members of the Royal Family, and work to become financially independent” have been met with wide criticism.

The head of a prominent campaign group has called for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to give up their Scottish title, the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton, in the wake of the announcement. Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, said: “My own view is that they should not be hanging on to all their titles if they don’t want to do the job. They can’t have it both ways, keeping the perks but not wanting to stay and do the work. 

“There is a long history of Royals taking titles and doing nothing else with them. If I lived in Dumbarton I would be pretty miffed they had taken the title but not supported the community they claim to represent.”

Despite being granted the honour on their wedding day by the Queen on the morning of their wedding in 2018, the couple have never visited the town. The couple plan to split their time flitting across the Atlantic while “continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages”.

However, it is unclear how they will fund themselves as they currently receive 95% of their income from Prince Charles’s private Duchy of Cornwall estate.

The pair were already preparing to launch their own Sussex Royal charity, set up after splitting from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s foundation in June last year.

The charity is expected to be global, linked to Africa and the US, rather than domestic, and have a commitment to female empowerment. One palace aide is reported to have said: “People had bent over backwards for them. They were given the wedding they wanted, the house they wanted, the office they wanted, the money they wanted, the staff they wanted, the tours they wanted and had the backing of their family. What more did they want?’”

READ MORE: 'I've seen for myself the good that the Royal Family can do'

 It is claimed another source inside the royal fold said: “The level of deceit has been staggering and everyone from the top of the royal household to the bottom feels they have been stabbed in the back.”

It is thought the couple have not yet decided where they will settle with their infant son Archie, although Canada, where they spent a six-week break in a £10.7 million waterfront Vancouver Island mansion, is an option.

The Duke and Duchess made no mention of relinquishing their royal titles and will remain living in Frogmore House, their home on the Windsor Estate renovated with £2.4 million of public money. They will also keep their statefunded police protection officers.

Harry and Meghan also split their household from Kensington Palace, then left the Royal Foundation they shared with Kate and William.

In a television documentary, the Sussexes spoke of their struggles, with Harry saying he had “good days and bad days” in his relationship with William.