Prince Philip reportedly held a strong disapproval for the Duchess of Sussex, according to a royal expert, who claims that along with the Duke of Sussex, she caused significant turmoil within the monarchy by catching the Queen off guard.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who would have turned 105 on Wednesday, is remembered for his long tenure as the longest-serving royal consort in British history, his sharp humor, and his dedication to charitable causes.
Despite forging close and cherished connections with many in the Royal Family, Meghan Markle, now 44, was allegedly not among those he bonded with, as stated by royal biographer Richard Fitzwilliams.
In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Fitzwilliams shared insights into the friction between Prince Philip and Meghan, suggesting that her actions during the time of Philip’s deteriorating health in 2021 contributed to a deep family rift.
Fitzwilliams stated, “Queen Elizabeth and her ‘strength and stay,’ Prince Philip, were among the most extraordinary couples in royal history.”
He further explained that Prince Philip was particularly displeased with how Harry and Meghan exited their royal roles, which he felt left the Queen unprepared and created a crisis for the monarchy.
‘He was an outsider who had made a difference and helped shape the future by handling the problems of his ill-defined job constructively. He clearly regretted both the speed of this decision and also its implications for the future.
‘When Prince Harry announced his plans to wed Meghan Markle in November 2017, he was hopeful that the Royal Family would welcome their joyous news.
Prince Philip ‘strongly disapproved’ of the Duchess of Sussex and how she, together with the Duke of Sussex, ‘blindsided the Queen and plunged the monarchy into crisis,’ royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has claimed
‘But the prince was met with a rather curt response from his forthright grandfather, Prince Philip, who issued the stern warning: “One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them”.
‘Harry and Meghan’s wedding was a unique one for the Royal Family. It contained a lengthy, revivalist sermon, Hollywood A-listers, a series of dramas involving her father and backstage tensions that would later surface.
‘The Duke was recovering from a hip operation and would have been in considerable pain, with a fractured rib as well. Small wonder he reportedly said to the Queen “Thank f**k that’s over”. It meant he could relax.’
While Meghan had time to bond with multiple family members during her brief stint as a working royal, Prince Philip was not one of them.
Philip officially retired from royal duties in August 2017, after which he spent much of his time in solitude in the Sandringham Estate.
It was one year after that Meghan wed Harry and fully transitioned into the family, meaning that she and Philip rarely attended royal events together and scarcely saw each other.
In contrast, Meghan has spoken about her time with the late Queen, including the moment she performed a deeply exaggerated curtsey in front of her awkward-looking husband.
Meghan met the Queen for the first time during a lunch at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, shortly after she and the Prince revealed they were dating in 2016.
Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip watching the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s 2018 wedding
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex went ahead with their bombshell Oprah interview while Philip’s health deteriorated
In 2018, Meghan, in her first engagement without her husband, and the Queen boarded the Royal Train for an overnight journey to Cheshire.
Lack of time spent together aside, Richard also pointed to the timing of the Sussexes bombshell Oprah interview in explaining their ‘rifted’ relationship with Philip, saying: ‘On Saturday March 9, 2021, the Sussexes two-hour special with Oprah was to air.
‘On February 17, when it was already scheduled, Prince Philip was admitted to the hospital for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition.
‘The interview had huge advertising revenues attached, and the build-up had been phenomenal.
‘However, owing to the Duke’s illness, it would have only been respectful to postpone it. It was small consolation that Meghan’s friend, Gayle King from CBS, said the Sussexes had planned to postpone it if Philip had actually died.’
A friend of the Sussexes told the Daily Mail at the time that the Royal Family were using Philip’s health, and the fact that he had recently undergone heart surgery, as an excuse to keep the Sussexes ‘muzzled’.
A friend of the Sussexes said: ‘Even if Meghan had the choice to postpone the Oprah special she said she wouldn’t because it has absolutely nothing to do with Prince Philip and that this is just an excuse by the palace to keep her muzzled.’
Fitzwilliams continued: ‘Prince Philip never recovered. He died aged 99 in April that year. The content and legacy of this interview, which the Queen, while grieving, had to cope with, are among the causes of the bitter rift between the Royal Family and the Sussexes.
Wreaths from members of the Royal Family were rested against the pews during Philip’s funeral at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2021, including the Sussexes, which featured a press release
‘It was therefore just as well that Harry was alone at his funeral. Meghan was heavily pregnant and, we were told, did not fly on medical advice.
‘Yet controversy continued as the details of their wreath were released to the media via a press release from their PR. It seemed like a public relations opportunity that was totally inappropriate on such an occasion and unsurprisingly it was heavily criticised at the time.’
At Philip’s 2021 funeral, the Sussexes honoured the Duke’s life with a wreath incorporating bear’s breeches for his birthplace, sea holly for the Navy, roses for his birthday – and, unlike all other tributes, a press release.
But for a man who made specific requests for how low-key his funeral should be, it is likely he would not have been impressed by the media fanfare caused by the Sussexes’ wreath.
The couple had liaised with Cotswold florist Willow Crossley, who also designed their wedding flowers and an arrangement for Archie’s 2019 christening.
The wreath was accompanied by a card handwritten by Meghan, who is said to have watched the televised ceremony from home.
One year later, when the family gathered again for Prince Philip’s official memorial service at Westminster Abbey, neither Harry nor Meghan attended.
At the time, the Duke was pursuing a legal challenge against the Home Office after being told he would no longer be given the ‘same degree’ of personal protective security when visiting from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself.
In May last year, he lost his battle for taxpayer-funded armed police bodyguards while in the UK.
Fitzwilliams added: ‘The Duke was famously idiosyncratic and might well have seemed somewhat daunting to someone of Meghan’s temperament.
‘However, he was supremely loyal to the Queen and the institution of monarchy and Meghan, as the Royal Family discovered, was supremely ambitious.
‘The Duke may well, as reported, have cautioned Harry, saying “one steps out with actresses, one does not marry them”.
‘That will not have been appreciated, nor will his alleged comparisons of Meghan with Wallis Simpson, wife of the Duke of Windsor, as the abdication still haunts the Royal Family. Harry was fond of his grandfather, but there were limits to his loyalty.’
