In a revelation that’s shaking the image of Prince Harry’s once-close bond with Queen Elizabeth II, a royal author has claimed that the Duke of Sussex deeply upset his grandmother in the lead-up to his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle.
According to Substack writer and royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith, Queen Elizabeth was left “really upset” and “saddened” by Harry’s actions shortly before his highly publicized nuptials. The bombshell claim comes from none other than the Queen’s cousin, Lady Anson, who revealed a tense and emotional episode between the monarch and her grandson.
“She [the Queen] said she was really upset. I was shocked when the Queen told me this, how she was so saddened,” Lady Anson told Smith. “I had no idea about the conversation, that he was rude to her for ten minutes.”
The tension allegedly stemmed from a disagreement over who would officiate the royal wedding. While the tradition would have seen the Dean of Windsor presiding over the ceremony, Harry reportedly insisted that the Archbishop of Canterbury perform the role instead—an unorthodox demand that apparently clashed with royal protocol and left Her Majesty feeling disrespected.
Lady Anson also claimed that during a tea with the Queen just two days before the wedding, Meghan Markle refused to share details about her wedding dress—despite the Queen’s gentle curiosity.
“She was trying to find out about the wedding dress, and Meghan wouldn’t tell her,” Lady Anson revealed. The moment reportedly added to the Queen’s growing disappointment and concern over how royal traditions were being cast aside.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would go on to marry in a lavish ceremony watched by millions around the world. But behind the scenes, it seems the foundations of the couple’s relationship with the Royal Family were already beginning to crumble.
Just two years later, in 2020, Harry and Meghan stunned the world by stepping back from royal duties and relocating to California. Since then, they’ve spoken out against the monarchy in multiple high-profile interviews, accusing unnamed family members of racism and emotional neglect.
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Now, this new insight adds a deeply personal layer to Harry’s royal exit—suggesting that cracks had formed long before “Megxit” was even a term.
For royal watchers, the claim that Harry was “rude” to Queen Elizabeth—widely regarded as the emotional anchor of the monarchy—is particularly jarring. The late Queen was known for her quiet strength and diplomatic poise, and she reportedly went to great lengths to welcome Meghan into the fold.
Many are left wondering if this early clash marked the beginning of the end for Harry’s relationship with the crown.
The couple now live in Montecito, California, with their two children—Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. But even as they build a life thousands of miles from Buckingham Palace, the ghosts of royal tensions past continue to haunt their legacy.
This latest revelation is yet another chapter in the unfolding royal saga—and a reminder that beneath the pomp and pageantry, the royal family is still a family, marked by pride, pain, and deeply human conflict.
And with the Queen’s passing in 2022, the chance to mend that rift is now gone—leaving behind a legacy of what could have been.
