ROYALSQueen Elizabeth II Called Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's Wedding a 'Complete Catastrophe,' Royal Expert Reveals
Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was rocky and called their introduction a ‘catastrophe,' according to a royal expert.
Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was rocky, according to a royal expert.
Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, left the royal family in 2020, and were believed to have kept a warm relationship with the monarch before her death only two years later. However, royal historian Sally Bedell Smith claimed that, based on conversations with the Queen’s cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson, that wasn’t the case, saying the Queen “saw right through” Meghan's accusations of bullying within the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth's Relationship With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Was Rocky
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement in 2017.
"It was out of character for the Queen, but she saw straight through Meghan,” the author explained. “At the drinks before the dinner, a small group was talking to the monarch and she explained that Harry meeting Meghan had become a 'complete catastrophe.'"
Anson stated that the Suits actress seemed “full of charm” and "natural, intelligent, and thoughtful," but things changed after Meghan and Harry announced their engagement in 2017. She claimed Meghan's “bossy” demeanor took over, which, according to her, made Queen Elizabeth “very worried.”
Queen Elizabeth's Health Declined After Prince Harry Left Family
Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022.
"By this point," Anson continued. "We all knew the Queen's health was in decline and she had months left; she seemed regretful about how things had panned out."
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Moved to California in 2020
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have opened up over the years about why they left the royal family.
Harry has remained estranged from his family following his departure from the royal family and relocation to California. The couple — who wed in 2018 — opened up about their decision to step away in a 2021 CBS interview, as well as in their Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, and the Duke of Sussex’s memoir Spare.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Claimed the Palace Didn't Protect Them
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry received a lot of negative press when they lived in the United Kingdom.
Meghan and Harry shared that they felt unprotected by the royal institution, pointing to the palace’s close ties with the press and the wave of negative headlines they had faced since their relationship began in 2016.
“There’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories,” Harry told Vogue in December 2022. “So, if the comms team wants to be able to remove a negative story about their principal, they will trade and give you something else about someone else’s principal. You can always say, ‘I didn’t know about this.’ But have you done anything to stop it? And the answer is no.”
