Prince Harry and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth (opens in new tab), have always shared a special bond. As Harry and his wife Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) prepare to step down from their senior active royal duties later this month, the queen is focused on ensuring that their special bond remains intact.

A source close to the royal family told Us Weekly (opens in new tab) that Harry and the Queen (opens in new tab) sat down together for a "heart-to-heart" when Harry returned to the UK on Sunday, March 1, to prepare for his final official royal duties.

The purpose of the Queen's conversation 'to let Harry know that his and Princess Meghan's "royal exit" (open in new tab) does not mean he needs (or should) step down from the family on a personal level.

"The last thing Elizabeth wants is for Harry to feel estranged from his family, and she made her feelings clear about this at the meeting," the source explained.

Rumors of the meeting, which took place at Windsor Castle, surfaced as soon as Harry returned to the UK earlier this month, but this is the first time the public has heard the details. It was the first time Harry and the Queen (opens in new tab) had chatted face-to-face since the royal family first met to address the fallout from the Sussex couple's announcement that they were stepping down from royal life (opens in new tab).

In January, the Queen issued a statement (opens in new tab) on the news, saying:

"Today my family had a very constructive discussion about the future of my grandchildren and their families. Our family fully supports Harry and Megan's desire to build a new life as a young family. We wanted them to remain full-time working members of the Royal Family, but we respect and understand their desire to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued member of my family."

This latest conversation is evidence that the Queen meant what she said when she told Harry and Meghan that she wanted them to remain valued members of the family, even if they were not acting as active royals.

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