Prince Harry Cut Off Contact With Friends Before Stepping Down From Royal Family [REPORT]

As the days turn into weeks and the global obsession with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step down from the royal family continues, some surprising new information is beginning to emerge.

And much of the intel has to do with the timing of this shocking move.

At first, it was rumored that the Queen was "blindsided" by Harry and Meghan’s announcement.

We later learned that that’s not entirely accurate.

The 93-year-old monarch was informed that the Sussexes planned to go public with their split from the royals roughly 10 minutes before the announcement appeared on Instagram.

That may not sound like much of a warning — but those who know Meghan and Harry best had been expecting the exit for months.

Some say the couple began showing their hand right around the time baby Archie was born.

“When Meghan came around and she was interested in making changes, he welcomed it,” a friend tells People magazine, adding that after Meghan became a mom the focus shifted even more to “doing what’s right for their family."

Another source confirms that those who were closest to the Duke of Sussex at the time of his wedding knew that major changes were a foot.

The clearest indication, the insider claims, was the fact that Harry cut off contact with his closest friends shortly after tying the knot.

“Most no longer even have his cell number,” the insider tells People.

“They totally understand that men often drift from their friends after marriage, but there’s still a lot of resentment because they had been so close for so long."

It seems the sole exception is a bloke named Charlie van Straubenzee who’s been one of Harry’s best friends since their time together at Ludgrove Prep School.

Interestingly, it seems Meghan has not followed suit by distancing herself from her American pals.

In fact, when the Sussexes briefly returned to the UK following their announcement, they left Archie in Canada with Meghan’s longtime friend Jessica Mulroney.

So did Harry have a reason to kick his mates to the curb?

Were they contributing to the Sussexes’ discomfort in London, or were they simply reminders of the old guard from which Harry and Meghan were working so hard to distance themselves?

We may never know for sure, but one thing is certain — Harry is dead serious about closing the royal chapter of his life and starting over on a new page.