ROYAL FAMILY NEWSQueen Elizabeth Worried That Meghan Markle Was 'Not Working Well' With Prince William and Kate Middleton Ahead of Actress' Royal Wedding
Queen Elizabeth felt Meghan Markle wasn't getting along with her future in-laws Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton.
July 7 2025, Published 7:47 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth II worried that Meghan Markle wasn't "working well" with Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton ahead of the Suits alum's royal wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
The late monarch's cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson made the revelation to royal author Sally Bedell Smith in a series interviews prior to her death in November 2020. The writer has since shared excerpts from their intimate conversations in her Royal Extra Substack page.
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Smith said Anson told her, "Meghan and William and Kate are not working well. That is what the Queen said, particularly about the two girls."
Anson went on to add, "It's worrying that so many people are questioning whether Meghan is right for Harry. The problem, bless his heart, is that Harry is neither bright nor strong, and she is both."
Prince William Admitted to 'Disagreements' With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Princess Kate and Prince William appeared together on a February 2018 panel.
Three months prior to Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan Markle's wedding in May 2018, the duo made their first appearance alongside Prince William, 43, and Princess Kate, 43, at an event for The Royal Foundation Forum.
Even though they were dubbed the "Fab Four" at the time, the couples seemed somewhat uneasy together onstage.
William was asked about whether or not the two couples had disagreements, to which he laughed and responded, "Oh yes."
Even though Harry jumped in to claim that they were "healthy disagreements," William on a more serious note added, "Is it resolved? We don't know."
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Queen Elizabeth Worried Meghan Markle 'Engineered' Her Romance With Prince Harry
Queen Elizabeth worried about Meghan Markle's motives when marrying Prince Harry.
Anson told Bedell Smith the Queen, who she nicknamed "Jemima," was very concerned about Meghan's impact on the royal family and her motives for marrying Harry.
"The Number One Lady — I call her Jemima — says the jury is out on whether she likes Meghan," she quoted Anson as telling her, adding, "My Jemima is very worried."
"Harry is besotted and weak about women," Anson said. "We hope but don't quite think she is in love. We think she engineered it all."
Prince Harry Claimed Prince William Disapproved of His Relationship With Meghan Markle
The foursome attended royal events together prior to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down as senior working members of the British royal family in 2020.
Harry and Meghan began dating in July 2016 and announced their engagement in November 2017. The former senior working royal wrote in his 2023 memoir, Spare, that William told him his relationship with the actress was moving far too quickly.
“It’s too fast, he’d told me. Too soon [to propose],” Harry claimed. “In fact, he’d actually been pretty discouraging about my even dating Meg. One day, sitting together in his garden, he’d predicted a host of difficulties I could expect if I hooked up with an ‘American actress,’ a phrase he always managed to make sound like a ‘convicted felon.’"
Harry went on to write that from their very first meeting, things were tense between Meghan and her future in-laws after she hugged William and Kate when greeting them.
“[It] completely freaked him out,” Harry wrote. “He recoiled. Willy didn’t hug many strangers. Whereas Meg hugged most strangers.”
Harry also wrote that Kate became "offended" when Meghan told her she had "baby brain" during a run up to her wedding after giving birth to Prince Louis the month prior, after she forgot something.
He wrote that Kate angrily responded, "You talked about my hormones. We are not close enough for you to talk about my hormones!"
Once the conversation got back to William, he allegedly confronted Meghan about the "rude" comment, and she told the future king, "Take your finger out of my face."
