Long before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially stepped away from royal duties, tensions were already bubbling behind palace walls.
New revelations suggest that Harry’s once-close bond with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, began to crack during the lead-up to his 2018 wedding—and that Meghan’s interactions with the Queen may have made things even more difficult.
These insights come from Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen’s late cousin and trusted confidante, whose reflections were recently shared by royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith on her Substack Royal Extras.
The Queen’s Growing Worries About Harry and Meghan
According to Lady Elizabeth, the Queen was genuinely concerned about her grandson in the months leading up to the royal wedding.
She described Harry as “besotted and weak” when it came to women and admitted she wasn’t entirely sure if Meghan was truly in love with him.
Lady Elizabeth said Her Majesty was privately unsettled, remarking: “My Jemima is very worried”—a pet name she used for the Queen.
She also shared that the Queen felt excluded from many parts of the wedding planning and had doubts about Meghan’s intentions.
Meghan Allegedly Upset the Queen Over the Wedding Dress
One sticking point reportedly involved Meghan’s refusal to show the Queen her wedding dress before the big day.
During a tea meeting just days before the ceremony, the Queen had tried to ask about the gown but was met with silence from Meghan.
This moment left the monarch hurt and frustrated.
According to Lady Elizabeth, Harry had even been “rude to her for ten minutes” during that same meeting, further souring the atmosphere between them.
Conflict Over Royal Protocol and the Wedding Ceremony
Tensions were also reportedly sparked by Harry’s decision to ask the Archbishop of Canterbury to officiate the wedding without first consulting the Dean of Windsor, who traditionally oversees ceremonies at St. George’s Chapel.
Lady Elizabeth said the Queen was dismayed by this misstep and remarked that Harry didn’t fully grasp how royal traditions work.
“Harry seems to think the Queen can do what she wants—but she can’t,” she reportedly told her cousin.
An Attempt to Mend the Relationship
Despite the clashes, Harry did make efforts to repair the relationship with his grandmother before the wedding.
Lady Elizabeth said the Queen and Harry “patched things up” towards the end of April 2018, with Harry visiting her alone and later writing her to share more wedding details.
However, doubts about Meghan’s fit within the royal family didn’t entirely fade.
Even Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, was said to be “frightened” about attending the wedding—a concern that ultimately became a non-issue when health problems kept him away.
A Family Wedge and Growing Doubts
Lady Elizabeth shared that by early 2019, the Queen still had reservations.
“I don’t trust Meghan an inch,” she reportedly told Bedell Smith.
Meghan, once seen as charming and intelligent, was increasingly viewed as “bossy” and calculated.
The Queen’s cousin even speculated that Meghan had “engineered” the entire relationship with Harry.
She also lamented the deepening rift between Harry and William, calling it “too bad” and indicating the brothers’ wives—Meghan and Kate—were not getting along.
The Life and Legacy of Lady Elizabeth Anson
Lady Elizabeth wasn’t just any royal relative—she was a well-connected insider who spent decades planning grand events for the monarchy.
Born in Windsor Castle and the goddaughter of King George VI, she founded the successful company Party Planners, arranging everything from the Queen’s 80th birthday to parties for figures like Baroness Thatcher, Sting, and Tom Cruise.
She famously charged the Queen Mother too little for her first event, only to be told in a handwritten letter to double the invoice.
For years, she was the go-to organiser for palace events and international royal weddings.
Her Final Years with the Queen
Despite battling lung cancer in her later years, Lady Elizabeth remained close to the Queen.
The monarch regularly dined at her London home, even as Prince Philip became more reclusive.
In recognition of her lifetime of personal service, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2021.
Lady Elizabeth passed away in November 2020 at the age of 79.
A Complicated Chapter in Royal History
These new revelations don’t just add fuel to the ongoing public debate about Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life—they suggest the cracks in the foundation were visible long before the couple stepped back.
From tensions over protocol to deeply personal disappointments, it appears that the Queen’s relationship with her grandson wasn’t just tested—it was quietly fractured in the very moments the world was celebrating their fairytale romance.