Sharon Osbourne has slammed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to step back from royal life, insisting they should have waited until Queen Elizabeth retired.

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne

The outspoken star thinks the couple - who announced their plans earlier this week - should be able to "do what they want" with their lives but ought to have shown more respect to their family with the timing of their announcement.

Referring to unconfirmed speculation about the 93-year-old monarch's plans, Sharon said: "They should be able to do what they want. It's 2020.

"However, his family are royal, for thousands of years. And to respect that family, you go to your family; you tell them how you feel; you say, let's sort this out.

"The queen has said that within the next 18 months she's going to retire, which means that Harry's dad, Prince Charles will be King. So, you know what, you wait until the Queen's retired."

And with Duchess Meghan estranged from many members of her family, with just her mother, Doria Ragland, in attendance at her and Harry's wedding, Sharon warned the couple they could lead to their eight-month-old son Archie being very isolated.

Speaking on 'The Talk', she added: "And remember one thing, Meghan has chosen to go through life without her family, just her mum. Now, if you alienate your royal family, your child will grow up with just you and one grandma. And that is not a good idea for anyone."

But the 67-year-old star thinks the former actress has some new career plans in mind and will have set her sights on teaming up with big names in the US.

She said: "My prediction is, that she'll end up doing something with Oprah and Michelle Obama."

Meanwhile, Oprah - who is a friend of the couple and was a guest at their wedding - has publicly offered her support to Meghan and her husband Prince Harry.

She said: "I care about them both and support whatever decisions they make for their family."

In their surprise statement, Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, also announced plans to balance their time between the United Kingdom and North America, but Oprah insisted she didn't play any part in their decision.

She added: "Meghan and Harry do not need my help figuring out what's best for them."

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