A shocking new claim has reignited royal tensions, with experts now alleging that Meghan Markle never intended to stay in the Royal Family—and used Prince Harry as a stepping stone to global fame.
Royal biographer Phil Dampier has made explosive remarks in The Sun, doubling down on long-standing suspicions that Meghan had carefully crafted her royal romance as part of a bigger strategy for success.
Quoting insights from Lady Elizabeth Anson—one of Queen Elizabeth II’s closest confidantes—Dampier revealed that the late monarch was not only aware of Meghan’s ambitions but feared that Harry was being manipulated by love.
“And Liza Shockley, as Sally Smith likes to call her, was speaking to the Queen every day, even during lockdown,” Dampier said, referencing details from author Sally Bedell Smith’s recent revelations. “It confirms what we’d already suspected… that at first the Queen was very keen on Meghan.”
However, the Queen’s enthusiasm soon gave way to deep concern. “She remarked that Harry was perhaps a little bit too much in love, was possibly besotted and a bit weak—and being manipulated by Meghan,” Dampier added, echoing royal insider fears that had been whispered behind palace doors long before the couple’s dramatic 2020 exit.
According to Dampier, Meghan’s plan was never about service or duty. “Sadly, Meghan never really had any intention of staying in the Royal Family,” he stated bluntly. “She saw getting married to Harry as a stepping stone to new fame and fortune.”
The claim pours fuel on the already blazing fire of speculation around Meghan and Harry’s motives following their decision to step down as senior royals. Since leaving the UK, the Sussexes have inked lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify, launched a personal brand in Montecito, and embarked on a media-heavy rebranding campaign that critics say has done more to damage than uplift the monarchy.
This isn’t the first time such accusations have surfaced—but the source of these recent comments adds serious weight. Lady Elizabeth Anson wasn’t just a distant royal observer—she was Queen Elizabeth’s cousin and a trusted companion who reportedly spoke to the monarch daily, even in her final months.
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Her alleged comments reveal just how concerned the Queen may have been about the woman marrying into her family—and the impact she could have on Prince Harry’s future.
What’s especially damning is the suggestion that Meghan never planned for a long-term role within the institution. The narrative, according to Dampier and Anson’s alleged conversations, suggests the Duchess was always focused on what came after the royal spotlight—not what it required of her while she was in it.
Critics now argue that Meghan’s recent lifestyle ventures—including launching her own brand and releasing products like jam and wine—only reinforce the theory that royal life was merely a launchpad to bigger ambitions.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Duchess of Sussex have slammed the accusations as unfair and sexist, pointing out that Meghan endured relentless media harassment, racist undertones in press coverage, and little support from the institution she married into.
Still, for many within the royal fold, the sense of betrayal runs deep. With Prince Harry continuing to maintain a strained relationship with his father King Charles—and Meghan rarely appearing at major royal events—the couple remains firmly outside the royal orbit.
But these latest claims threaten to further widen the already gaping rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family.
If true, it suggests that Queen Elizabeth II saw the storm coming—she just may not have lived long enough to weather it. And for Prince Harry, the question now lingers heavier than ever was his greatest act of love also his most painful mistake.
