There was sympathy, sadness and a little frustration from people outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday morning over the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were quitting as senior members of the royal family.

Mindy Lefurg, 51, from Iowa in the United States, said that Meghan “knew what her duties were” when she married into the royal family but added she has the “right to want a happy and normal life”.

Mrs Lefurg, who used to work in retail banking, said: “From what you can see of the pressures they face, it all seems to date back to his (Harry’s) mother and her death.

“You can understand why he might want a more normal life for his family and for himself but I think if they had stayed here and given it more time, things would have calmed down.”

Susan Deokie, an office administrator from Toronto, Canada, predicted there would be a warm welcome for the royal couple in her homeland, but that the mood could shift if Canadians have to fund the Sussexes’ security bill.

She said: “It would not be fair for them to pay the bill. We are all living through a recession and job security is not guaranteed.”

Staying she has “mixed feelings” about the Sussex situation, she added: “I think he (Harry) needs to find some normality which he has never had, but he has a duty and needs to give the public what it wants.

“Living in Canada would be great for them. They could have a normal life with their baby Archie and they would not be hounded by the press.”

Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit to Morocco – Day 2
The Duchess of Sussex greets students during a visit to South Africa (PA)

Sales worker Dru Shiner, 51, from Kansas City in the US, said: “You are mixing two cultures – the British and American – and then you complicate it all with being part of the royal family.

“While she (Meghan) had a level of public spectacle for years (as an actress), the level of scrutiny she got was always going to provide much more difficulty”.

Lynne Hooton, 60, a cleaner from the Wirral, said of the decision: “I am not surprised. They are a young family and they want to live their lives.

“It is like any family, you do not see what is happening in the background as you only see what is happening in the front.

“I think Meghan is the one that does all the decision-making.”

Duke and Duchess of Sussex statement
Tourists take photos outside the gates of Buckingham Palace (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Mrs Hooton’s husband Paul, 63, a retired car production worker, said: “I think Meghan has just found it a bit more difficult coming into the royal family than she thought.

“I know she had been in the TV industry but it obviously was not like this.

“They have only been married two years and she obviously found it difficult.”

Susan Kelly, 62, a staff nurse from Dublin, said she was sad for the family and hoped it would not damage the charities the couple had been involved with.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex statement
TV crews at work outside the palace on Sunday morning (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

She said: “It is sad for both William and Harry. They had the star quality and there was also a good attractive balance between Kate and Meghan.

“It will now put an onus on Kate and William to carry the load.”

Her husband Paul, 63, a self-employed businessman, said: “This is the worst option for them. Harry had a job to do and he has basically put it off.

“They should have been able to negotiate through this because everyone in life has to cope with their issues.”