Prince Harry's 'Tasteless' Step Too Far: Duke's Remarks About Late Queen Elizabeth Leave Courtiers 'Unimpressed'

Prince Harry claimed in the new documentary Tabloids on Trial that the late Queen Elizabeth II told him shortly before she died that she was on board with his protracted press battles.

"She knew how much this meant to me, and she's very much up there saying 'see this through to the end,'" the royal rebel shared in the doc.

In February, Harry reached a settlement with the publisher of a tabloid over allegations of phone hacking. The settlement concludes a legal battle in which Harry accused the publisher of unlawfully intercepting his voicemails, which are just some of the numerous revelations explored in the new ITV documentary.

The fifth in line to the throne was awarded 140,000 pounds in damages as part of the settlement with News Group Newspapers, the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World. That settlement marked the end of one of several legal cases Harry has brought against British tabloids for what he describes as a systematic invasion of his privacy.

Not everyone is buying into the Duke's new claims in the program, chiefly his manner of bringing his late grandmother into his own "little circus."

"One courtier I spoke to this week was far from happy with Harry's 'tasteless' attempt to claim his grandmother's support in his continuing 'crusade,'" royal editor Richard Eden wrote in an outlet.

"As he told me: 'There is something distinctly 'off' about it. We'll never know what was said between grandson and grandmother. What we do know is that we will only ever know one side of the story,'" Eden added.

In response to the documentary, Mirror Group Newspapers said in a statement: "We welcomed the judgment in December 2023 that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago. Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologize unreservedly, have taken full responsibility, and paid compensation."

Elizabeth II was said to have been "very disappointed" in Harry during her twilight years as Megxit and the scandal with Prince Andrew unfolded. Although the late monarch reportedly "dotted" on the Duke of Sussex for most of his life, one insider pushed back on his recent revelations about her.

Daily Express reported on Eden's remarks.