Queen Elizabeth was reportedly “saddened” by a pre-wedding rift with Prince Harry over church protocol and Meghan’s secrecy, biographer Sally Bedell Smith revealed.
Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly saddened by her disagreement with Prince Harry(Image: Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly left deeply upset by tensions with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the weeks leading up to their 2018 royal wedding, according to newly shared recollections from a close confidante.
In a recent edition of her Royals Extra Substack, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith described conversations she had with Lady Elizabeth Anson, the late cousin and longtime party planner to the Queen. Anson, who died in 2020, reportedly disclosed how a disagreement over church protocol strained the monarch’s relationship with her grandson.
“Harry seems to think the Queen can do what she wants, but she can’t,” Anson told Bedell Smith, referencing Harry’s alleged decision to request the Archbishop of Canterbury to officiate the wedding without consulting the Dean of Windsor first. “On the religious side, it is the Dean of Windsor’s jurisdiction,” she added. According to Anson, the Queen confided that she was “really upset” and “saddened” by the confrontation, during which Harry was “rude to her for 10 minutes.”
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The friction didn’t end there. The Queen also reportedly felt shut out when Meghan wouldn’t reveal details about her wedding dress during a tea visit just days before the ceremony.
Queen Elizabeth II (Image: Getty Images)
“She was trying to find out about the wedding dress, and Meghan wouldn’t tell her,” Anson said.
Still, according to the biographer, efforts were made to mend the rift. Harry eventually visited his grandmother alone and penned a letter explaining the situation.
“They patched things up,” Anson reportedly told Bedell Smith. “She said she felt very left out.”
Additional strain came from interpersonal tensions between Meghan, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
“That is what the Queen said, particularly about the two girls,” Anson allegedly recalled.
Despite the challenges, Queen Elizabeth attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. Prince Philip, recovering from hip surgery at the time, was also present, as was then-Prince Charles, who walked Meghan down the aisle.
Post-wedding, relations reportedly continued to fray.
“I don’t trust Meghan an inch,” Anson told Bedell Smith in early 2019, as tensions between Harry and his brother reportedly escalated.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex later stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California. At the time, the Queen offered public support.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family,” she said, expressing hope that they would find “a happy and peaceful new life.”
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