The Queen's son Prince Edward says Harry and Meghan's rift with the royal family is 'very sad' and 'difficult for everyone'

• Prince Edward was asked about Prince Harry and Meghan during an interview with CNN.
• Asked whether it had been difficult for the Queen, he said it was "difficult for everyone."
• Harry and Markle were recently criticized for their newborn daughter Lilibet's name.

The Queen's youngest son Prince Edward has spoken out about the "very sad" rift between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the royal family.

Edward, 57, was asked about the Sussexes during a sit-down interview with CNN, given to commemorate what would have been Prince Philip's 100th birthday on Thursday.

When asked about the divide between the Sussexes and the rest of the family, Edward responded: "It's very sad. Weirdly, we've all been there before, we've all had excessive intrusion and attention in our lives, and we've all dealt with it in slightly different ways."

"We wish them the very best of luck, it's a really hard decision. Fantastic news about the baby, that's great, I hope they'll be very happy. Families are families, aren't they?" he added.

Asked whether the rift has been difficult for the Queen, Edward said: "It's difficult for everyone. But that's families for you."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently defended their decision to name their newborn daughter, Lilibet, after the Queen after a palace source told the BBC that they did not get the monarch's blessing to do so.

"The Duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement, in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called," a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Insider on Wednesday.

"During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honor," the spokesperson went on to say. "Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name."

This comes after months of speculation about the couple's relationship with the family. Harry came face to face with his father, Prince Charles, and his brother, Prince William at Prince Philip's funeral on April 17 - their first reunion since the couple's Oprah interview in March.

Harry told Oprah that he believed his father and brother were "trapped" in the institution. He also said that Charles had stopped taking his calls before his step back from royal duties last year.

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.