Queen Elizabeth and Prince Harry shared a close bond. However, their relationship was reportedly damaged amid the preparation for his 2018 royal wedding with Meghan Markle.
Queen Elizabeth And Prince Harry's Relationship Was 'Badly Damaged' Ahead Of The 2018 Royal Wedding
Vanity Fair royal editor Katie Nicholl shared some details about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal wedding in her new book The New Royals. In an excerpt published by The Mail On Sunday, the Queen's first cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson, who passed away in 2020, spoke with Nicholl about how the preparations for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day weighed in on the Queen.
"The run-up to the wedding was really very difficult for the Queen," Lady Elizabeth said. "She was very upset by how Harry had behaved and some of his demands and the way he went about things his own way."
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She added, "I remember her being rather upset by how beastly Harry was being. Their relationship was quite badly damaged by it all."
According to Nicholl, a lot of things happened ahead of Prince Harry and Markle's nuptials. A row ensued between the bride-to-be and Kate Middleton on whether Prince Charlotte should wear tights during the ceremony. There were also conflicts about the tiara that Markle wore on her special day.
The Times of London royal correspondent Valentine Low also covered the tiara row in his new book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, serialized in The Times. According to Low, Prince Harry yelled at the Queen's dresser Angela Kelly, "What Meghan wants, Meghan gets!" He also reportedly used "some fairly fruity language" that didn't sit well with Kelly, who told the Queen about the encounter, earning Prince Harry "stern telling-off."
"[Harry] was firmly put in his place," Low quoted an unnamed source as saying. "He had been downright rude."
Queen Elizabeth Reportedly Bewildered At Prince Harry's Attitude
Lady Elizabeth also shared that the Queen was already "bewildered" at some of Prince Harry's attitudes even before he met and married Meghan Markle. Among the things that caused concern to Queen Elizabeth was his previous interview when King Charles' youngest son opened up about his emotional side.
"In 2017, when Harry spoke in public about the 'total chaos' caused by 'shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years', the Queen feared her grandson risked shattering the mystique vital to the survival of the monarchy," Nicholl wrote. "According to Lady Elizabeth, the Queen was concerned that in revealing so much of himself, Harry was feeding an insatiable beast."
Lady Elizabeth told Nicholl that she shared her thoughts about Prince Harry's interview with the Queen. She personally didn't find anything wrong with it.
"When I said to the Queen 'I think it's no bad thing he's opened up'," Lady Elizabeth said.
"I'm afraid I can't agree with you. [The media] will want to know more and more," Queen Elizabeth reportedly replied.
Prince Harry did several interviews after he and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal duties. Their bombshell tell-all with Oprah Winfrey raised several eyebrows.
During the interview, Prince Harry said his father, King Charles, stopped taking his calls after he left his royal duties. He also claimed that King Charles cut them off financially. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also alleged that a member of the royal family raised concerns over their unborn child's skin color.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal family.
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