You know you’re curious! And new information from a royal expert reveals the answer to this question and more.
Here’s How Queen Elizabeth Really Felt About Meghan Markle
Published on Dec. 03, 2024
It’s been quite the rocky road for Meghan Markle ever since she and Prince Harry fell in love. There have been rumors, rifts, outright feuds and so much more—and it has all played out in the public eye. Everyone has an opinion, of course, but the opinion that may have mattered most of all was Queen Elizabeth’s. What did the late queen really think of her daughter-in-law?
Of course, the queen famously kept things close to the vest. Her motto, after all, was “never complain, never explain.” But new revelations from William Eden, a royal expert and the editor of the Daily Mail, shed some light on the queen’s true feelings about Meghan.
Read on to find out what he had to say about Elizabeth’s thoughts on Meghan—both when Meghan’s romance with Harry began and after the pair abdicated their royal duties.
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What did the queen think of Meghan at first?
Believe it or not, the late queen thought Meghan would be “a breath of fresh air and a great asset to the monarchy,” says Eden, who got this inside scoop from the courtiers in the palace. Meghan was divorced, biracial and an American actress—all things that could have propelled the monarchy into the 21st century in a more progressive way.
And while Elizabeth never publicly shared her opinions, it seems that she had a genuine interest in assimilating the Suits actress into the royal family and “warmly welcomed” her.
How did this manifest in the queen’s actions?
For starters, Elizabeth invited Meghan to the exclusive royal-family Christmas celebration at Sandringham in 2017, five months before her wedding to Harry. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but trust us, it is. Even Kate Middleton, now the Princess of Wales, wasn’t welcomed into the fold this way before she was officially married to Prince William. “This is a privilege typically reserved for official family members,” public-relations specialist Jared Meade, founder of the Rayne Strategy Group, says of Meghan’s pre-marriage visit to the royal country retreat. That year, the queen also mentioned “new members” of the family in her Christmas broadcast, which royal watchers believed included Meghan (as well as Prince Louis, with whom Kate was pregnant at that time).
Meade also notes that Meghan was invited to attend Westminster Abbey for Commonwealth Day alongside the queen, which was her first official appearance with the royal family. “This was two months before her marriage to Prince Harry,” he explains, “which is evidence that she was already being treated as a member of the family.”
Then there was a solo outing with the queen just a few weeks after the wedding and the bestowal of a new role for Meghan in addition to the Duchess of Sussex—royal patron of the National Theatre and vice president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.
What was the moment that changed everything?
There were a number of rumblings over the years that indicated not all was well within the palace. This included rumors of a tiff between the queen’s dresser, Angela Kelly, and Meghan during wedding-dress fittings. The queen reportedly also wasn’t thrilled that Meghan, who was divorced, would be wearing white to her wedding. And of course, there were allegedly squabbles involving William and Kate.
But for the queen, the real turning point came in January 2020, when Meghan and Harry announced that they were stepping down as senior royals.
How did the queen feel about Meghan after this?
While insiders say the queen was disappointed by this development, her public statement was supportive. “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family,” she said in the written statement. “I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family.”
According to Meade, the support seemed genuine and “she appeared to express support for Prince Harry and Meghan publicly when they moved to the U.S.” Eden shared a similar sentiment about the queen’s support, though has a more somber take on the situation: “How sad that the queen’s genuine efforts to welcome Meghan during her final years, when she was failing in health, were thrown back in her face.” He adds that the palace staff believed that “from the start … Meghan may not have wanted to make a success of her life in Britain.” They also believed that she encouraged Harry’s long-standing resentment for being the “spare” (as his biography is named) to the throne.
Did the queen, Meghan and Harry ever make amends?
This is hard to say, as the queen’s tight-lipped approach makes the answer more of a speculation. “We all hope there was some reconciliation before the queen’s passing,” says Meade, “but the answer is something that only two people—Meghan and Prince Harry—truly know.”
However, there is still time for a reconciliation between the couple and William and Kate, though the brothers are not currently on speaking terms. In the meantime, all we can do is stay tuned for the next development … and hope for an end to the feud.
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Sources:
- Daily Mail: “Richard Eden: What the Queen REALLY thought of Meghan. My extensive research and Palace sources have unearthed troubling new questions about her and Harry’s behaviour”
- Royal.uk: “Statement from Her Majesty the Queen”
- Jared Meade, public relations specialist and founder of the Rayne Strategy Group; email interview, Nov. 30, 2024
