Prince Charles is 'hurt' at Meghan and Harry splitting from the family after spending millions of pounds of his own money to 'top up' their income and fund their lifestyle, a source has claimed.
The money from his private income was added to the cash they receive from the profits of the Duchy of Cornwall and at one point saw them paid more than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
It is understood they now receive the same.
The source spoke out before the Queen released an official statement following crunch talks between the royals at Sandringham today, in which she says Harry and Meghan "made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives."
A source claimed Charles stumped up "hundreds of thousands of pounds" for the work on the Sussexes home in Windsor, Frogmore Cottage , despite the taxpayer also footing a £2.4million bill for it.
As well as this, the source claims Charles spent a "small fortune" on the couple's lavish wedding, which was attended by several big celebrity names.
Despite all this, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now say they want to be financially independent and 'step-back' from being 'senior royals' - though questions remain about how this will be realised and about figures they quote on their website.
“There is a great deal of hurt given that the Prince of Wales has gone out of his way to help his son who he loves dearly and embrace his daughter-in-law into the family," another source told the Evening Standard .
“The figures quoted on the Sussex website are wrong," they add.
"It does not take into account security for one thing and much of the travel. Also talk of what the Prince of Wales only pays towards both his sons from the profits of the Duchy is simply not true.
"He has paid out considerable sums from his private investments and money too. These are not small sums. It should not be a surprise that he is upset by all this given the truth about how he has supported his son.”
Today's historic meeting at the Queen's private Sandringham estate was the first time Harry had met with his grandmother, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge since the issue engulfed the royal family this week, making headlines around the world.
There were a range of issues to be discussed at crisis talks being held by the royal family today - with Meghan dialling in by phone. The unprecedented gathering at the Queen's estate in Norfolk was attended by the Duke of Sussex, 35, his grandmother the Queen, 93, Charles, 71, and Prince William, 37.
Following today's crunch talks, the Queen said in a statement that Buckingham Palace "supports" Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step back from royal life - but would have preferred them to stay.
The Queen said she and her family are "entirely supportive" of the couple's decision to create a new life, and the royals have agreed on a "transition period" for them.
The official statement read: "Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family.
"My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.
"Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.
"It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.
"These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days."
Harry and Meghan were said to have left the Queen feeling "hurt" by their bombshell announcement that they plan to step back as senior royals, become financially independent and split their time between the UK and North America.
Harry and Meghan's statement - and a new official Sussexroyal.com website - have thrown up important questions about funding for the couple's round-the-clock security, media access to their royal events and how they will pay for their future lifestyles.
Other important issues to resolve included who would pay for the substantial security cost of protecting the couple and their baby son if they spent large portions of the year in Canada and possibly America.
The bombshell announcement by the Sussexes read: "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.
"We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.
"It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment."
The statement concluded: "We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages."
