The Queen’s first cousin, who arranged Elizabeth II’s 80th birthday party, hoped Meghan Markle had true intentions in the run-up to her wedding with Prince Harry in 2018. Lady Elizabeth Anson, a great-niece of the Queen Mother and a goddaughter of King George VI, reportedly aired her thoughts about the couple and the now Duchess of Sussex’s feelings for the Duke two weeks before the nuptials.
Journalist and royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith wrote in her Substack ‘Royal Extras’ that Lady Elizabeth (Liza) allegedly said in the run up to the Royal Wedding: “We hope but don’t quite think she is in love.” She also said: “We think she engineered it all.” She was the Queen’s confidante later in life, affectionately calling the monarch “Jemima” and her “Number One Lady”.
The royal author claimed that she was told by the royal confidante: “The Number One Lady—I call her Jemima—says the jury is out on whether she likes Meghan.
“Harry is besotted and weak about women. We hope but don’t quite think she is in love. We think she engineered it all.”
Liza reportedly said: “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.”
Lady Elizabeth Anson was born at Windsor Castle during World War 2 and with King George VI as a godfather, she grew up surrounded by, and on first name terms with, the royals.
For almost 60 years, she presided over London’s party scene and organised the capital’s best and most lavish celebrations. She died in November 2020.
She first decided to be a party planner when she was a teenager, at 17. She was working as a receptionist at the Hyde Park Hotel in London, but she fell down a flight of stairs and injured herself.
The fall meant she needed to find a job that would enable her to work from home and started to plan celebrations.
She hosted bashes for everyone from Baroness Thatcher and Sir Mick Jagger, to Tom Cruise and Bill Clinton.
Her first event was for the late Queen Mother. Liza previously recalled to the Mail on Sunday: “She was hosting a party for one of her godchildren. I remember charging very little and receiving a letter from the Queen Mother telling me to double the invoice.”