The Queen's eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, has separated from his wife after 12 years of marriage.
According to WalesOnline, Autumn Phillips asked for the divorce, leaving him shocked and the Queen "very upset".
Friends say that Peter, 42, didn't realise his marriage was breaking down, making the divorce request from 41-year-old Autumn feel shocking and unexpected.
The couple have two daughters together, Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven.
A source told The Sun: “Peter is absolutely devastated by this and just didn’t see it coming.
“He thought he was happily married and had the perfect family with two lovely daughters. But he is now in total shock."
The source also said that his Canadian-born wife was feeling unsatisfied in her marriage for some time.
They said: “Autumn is a wonderful wife and mother and a very intelligent woman but she’s been telling her friends for some time that there were issues.
“She is a favourite of the Queen and I’m sure Her Majesty will be very upset by this as well.
“It’s the last thing she needs after all her recent troubles and you get the feeling that the royal family is falling apart a little bit.”
It's understood that Autumn, a management consultant, wants to return to Canada.
Her daughters have dual Canadian citizenship, meaning they can live in the nation.
Buckingham Palace is yet to comment on the development.
