The Queen has gone into 'survival mode' amid string of royal controversies

It’s been a whirlwind few months for the royal family, with controversies galore spilling out from inside the firm, of which the Queen has been at the helm for 66 years.

Prince Andrew’s friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein rocked the monarchy, with the 60-year-old being forced to step back from royal duties.

Then, at the end of January, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were quitting their roles, with their last official engagement now set for March 31.

Throughout everything, the Queen has remained defiant, however according to royal historian Robert Lacey she’s gone into survival mode.

“The Queen will be very disappointed,” Robert Lacey told People. “Her job is to survive”.

However, Robert said Prince Harry and Meghan’s exit won’t fluster the Queen too much, as she’s gone through this before with her sister, Princess Margaret, who struggled with living in the 93-year-old’s shadow.

“The younger-sibling syndrome is an enduring problem,” says Lacey. “The system has not found a way of giving them the recognition that they need.”

Katie Nicholl, told Vanity Fair a senior source had told her the Queen “generally doesn’t want to talk about it”.

“The queen has been keen to get this resolved because she sees it damaging to the monarchy and on a personal level I think this has been rather hurtful for her,” the source told Nicholl.

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