Meghan Markle was barred from dialling into the 2020 Sandringham Summit because royal aides feared she was “smarter” than Prince Harry, a new documentary has claimed.

The sit-down, called by the late Queen to thrash out the Sussexes’ future, saw Prince Harry attend alone while the Duchess of Sussex remained in Canada with their son Archie.

Journalist Emily Andrews alleged that palace officials believed they would “get a better outcome” for the Firm by excluding Meghan from the talks.

She said: “They all knew Meghan was probably smarter, brighter, had a more linear view of where she and Harry were going.”

The Duchess later hit out at the decision, saying: “Imagine a roundtable discussion about the future of your life… and you’re not invited to have a seat at the table.”