Queen feared Prince Harry was ‘a little too in love’ with Meghan, according to new biography
The Queen also reportedly told Meghan that she didn’t have to give up her job as an actor upon joining the royal family
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Queen Elizabeth II expressed concern that Prince Harry was “perhaps a little too in love” with Meghan Markle during the early days of their marriage, a new book has claimed.
A new biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, sees the author and family friend to the royals, Gyles Brandreth, claim the comment was “as far as she came – to my knowledge at least – to ever uttering a word against the new Duchess of Sussex”.
According to the book, the former monarch was “truly delighted” when Prince Harry first told her of his plans to marry the US actor, and did “everything she could” to make her feel at home within the family.
However, following bullying claims made against the Duchess, alleging that she drove out two personal assistants and undermined the confidence of a third, the Queen apparently expressed concern about the impact of this on her grandson.
Responding to the allegations in 2021, Meghan’s spokesperson said: “The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.”
An excerpt from the book, published in the Daily Mail, also revealed that during her first meeting with Meghan, the Queen told her that she did not have to give up her acting career, saying: “You can carry on being an actress if you like – that’s your profession, after all.”
However, Meghan reportedly said she would step back from her career to concentrate on her royal duties.
“Indeed, Meghan promised that when it came to the Commonwealth, she wouldn’t let Her Majesty down,” the biographer claims.
“The Queen (who, of course, had seen it all before) understood that Harry’s girl might find adjusting to royal life ‘challenging to begin with’ (as she put it),” the book reads.
“It is very jolty, but you soon get used to it”, the Queen is claimed to have said.
The book also claims that Prince Andrew was alleged to have “harrumphed” to his mother about the Duke and Duchesses’ decision to give an interview to Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
Compared with other royals, the Queen was said to be much more relaxed about the decision, reminding the Duke that his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, has previously given an interview to the same talk show host.
Brandreth notes that while the Duke of Edinburgh described the Sussexes’ interview as “madness”, the Queen simply dismissed it as “this television nonsense”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments