Queen Elizabeth feared Prince Harry was ‘besotted and weak': New details emerge of royal rift
Fresh revelations from royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith have laid bare private conversations with Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen's first cousin once removed, shedding new light on the royal family's early doubts about Prince Harry's marriage — and their quiet dread ahead of the 2018 wedding,
The Sun
reported.
'We hope but don't quite think (Meghan) is in love. We think she engineered it all,' Lady Elizabeth told Smith at the time, adding: 'The problem, bless his heart, is that Harry is neither bright nor strong, and she is both.'
The Queen, according to her cousin, was rattled.
She had reportedly described Prince Harry as 'rude to her for ten minutes' in the lead-up to the wedding and was blindsided when he asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to officiate without clearing it first.
'Harry seems to think the Queen can do what she wants, but she can't,' Lady Elizabeth said.
'On the religious side, it is the Dean of Windsor's jurisdiction.'
The Queen, she said, believed her grandson had 'blown his relationship with his grandmother.'
Though they later patched things up, the tension lingered.
Behind the scenes, Meghan's reputation was already slipping. Palace staff had allegedly dubbed her 'Me-gain' and complained of diva-like behaviour, including her demand to mask the 'musty' smell in St George's Chapel with scented spritzers before the ceremony.
'I don't trust Meghan an inch,' Lady Elizabeth later said, citing the Duchess's secrecy about her wedding dress, which unsettled the Queen during a tea day before the wedding. 'Very much so,' she added when asked if Meghan was bossy.
As the Sussexes' tensions with the palace worsened — culminating in their Oprah interview and Prince Harry's tell-all memoir — many of Lady Elizabeth's early fears appear to have been validated.
The Queen, who died in 2022, did not live to read Spare, nor to see Prince Harry take legal action over his police protection.
But the family's divide has only grown deeper.
Despite King Charles and Princess Kate Middleton's recent health battles, reconciliation appears out of reach.
Even now, Meghan continues to use her royal title in public ventures — including the launch of her new rosé wine — despite previous assurances to the Queen that she wouldn't.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Sussexes have responded to the resurfaced claims.
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Courier-Mail
a day ago
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The Duchess of Sussex might be a passionate home cook and her kitchen might have the same square meterage of a mid-size metro two-bedder but to commercially produce enough jam, sorry spread, was always going to require outside help. Likewise her teabags. Did anyone really think that Harry was down the shed, neatly spooning dried hibiscus petals into little sachets and mulling his life choices? Of her products, a source close to Meghan told the Mail, they 'started with the version Meghan makes at home and worked to develop a version of it that could be produced at scale.' Fans clearly don't give a fig about where duchess' As Ever goodies are actually being cooked up with all three of the As Ever stock releases selling out in less than 60 minutes. The range appears to be very popular. Picture: Instagram Meghan Markle makes homemade jam with her daughter, Lilibet, in their kitchen for the 'As Ever' range. 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Picture: Supplied As the Daily Beast's Tom Sykes pointed out ahead of the rosé's debut, As Ever's non- alcoholic products have only been available for purchase for less than two hours in the three months, which equates the As Ever's food 'shelves [having] been fully stocked for just 0.01 percent of the time' since launch. What remains to be seen is whether this all only cultivates an air of exclusivity and rarity and whets shoppers' appetites or whether it will just frustrate them. Also, does only having products on sale for less than an hour, every so often, make for a sustainable, profitable business concern? Meghan Markle swings in a garden in a new post to promote her As Ever products. Picture: Instagram In March the Telegraph reported that the Duchess of Sussex 'thinks she's going to be a billionaire' thanks to her growing portfolio of ventures and projects. At least we know this, if Harry has been helping out behind the scenes, it might not have all been hard graft. 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7NEWS
2 days ago
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Queen Elizabeth feared Prince Harry was ‘besotted and weak': New details emerge of royal rift
Long before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle blew up the monarchy with Megxit, the late Queen harboured deep concerns, fearing her grandson was 'besotted and weak' and being manipulated by a woman who 'could turn into nothing but trouble.' Fresh revelations from royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith have laid bare private conversations with Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen's first cousin once removed, shedding new light on the royal family's early doubts about Prince Harry's marriage — and their quiet dread ahead of the 2018 wedding, The Sun reported. 'We hope but don't quite think (Meghan) is in love. We think she engineered it all,' Lady Elizabeth told Smith at the time, adding: 'The problem, bless his heart, is that Harry is neither bright nor strong, and she is both.' The Queen, according to her cousin, was rattled. She had reportedly described Prince Harry as 'rude to her for ten minutes' in the lead-up to the wedding and was blindsided when he asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to officiate without clearing it first. The truth behind Meghan Markles luxe 'homemade' jam 2 min read 'Harry seems to think the Queen can do what she wants, but she can't,' Lady Elizabeth said. 'On the religious side, it is the Dean of Windsor's jurisdiction.' The Queen, she said, believed her grandson had 'blown his relationship with his grandmother.' Though they later patched things up, the tension lingered. Behind the scenes, Meghan's reputation was already slipping. Palace staff had allegedly dubbed her 'Me-gain' and complained of diva-like behaviour, including her demand to mask the 'musty' smell in St George's Chapel with scented spritzers before the ceremony. 'I don't trust Meghan an inch,' Lady Elizabeth later said, citing the Duchess's secrecy about her wedding dress, which unsettled the Queen during a tea day before the wedding. 'Very much so,' she added when asked if Meghan was bossy. As the Sussexes' tensions with the palace worsened — culminating in their Oprah interview and Prince Harry's tell-all memoir — many of Lady Elizabeth's early fears appear to have been validated. The Queen, who died in 2022, did not live to read Spare, nor to see Prince Harry take legal action over his police protection. But the family's divide has only grown deeper. Despite King Charles and Princess Kate Middleton's recent health battles, reconciliation appears out of reach. Even now, Meghan continues to use her royal title in public ventures — including the launch of her new rosé wine — despite previous assurances to the Queen that she wouldn't.
