Has Meghan Markle done a lot of damage to the Royal family, or has the Royal Family done damage to itself in shunning her? Your opinion on that will likely depend on whether you’re Team William or Team Harry, but it’s worth pondering how different the past few years could’ve been if the Royals had simply embraced Meghan with open arms.
While it’s true that some reports say she could be abrasive — e.g. the claims that she made Kate Middleton cry with some “cruel” comments about her daughter, Princess Charlotte — others argue that it was the Royals who turned a cold shoulder towards Meghan when she joined the family upon marrying Prince Harry in 2018 (Kate included). It was this treatment by both their own family and the press that caused the Sussexes to flee to the U.S., potentially severing the Royal family in half forever more.
Maybe things could’ve been different, however, if the late Queen Elizabeth II had allowed Meghan’s original wedding request, even if it was a little “inappropriate.”
Queen Elizabeth II “firmly denied” Meghan Markle’s unlikely request as she “set off alarm bells”
Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, was not a massive fan of Meghan’s by the sounds of it, what with his unflattering three-letter nickname for her. Queen Elizabeth seems to have been more welcoming to her granddaughter-in-law, although she did have to “firmly” deny Meghan’s unexpected request as it was deemed not “appropriate.”
As Harry and Meghan obsessives may know, before the Sussexes moved to California, their residence was Frogmore Cottage, part of the Royals’ sprawling estate in Windsor. Initially, however, Meghan made a very bold move when she asked the Queen to move into Windsor Castle itself — the only people who officially lived there at the time were Elizabeth and Philip themselves.
According to Royal author and historian Hugo Vickers, the Queen instead “politely but firmly suggested” the couple move into Frogmore Cottage instead, ultimately gifting it to them as a wedding present. Of course, there would’ve been more than enough room for Harry, Meghan, and their eventual children in Windsor Castle, but as it is supposed to be the residence of the residing monarch and their spouse only, that probably would’ve crossed some lines.
“There are empty bedrooms and suites in the private apartments which the Sussexes may have had their eye on, or perhaps some former living quarters in the castle grounds converted into other things,” Vickers told The Times. “But I can see how it might not be entirely appropriate to have a young family living there.”
Unfortunately, this supposedly wasn’t the only ding against Meghan from the late Queen’s point of view. In the run-up to the wedding, Meghan’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, was all over the media discussing his fractured relationship with his daughter — to this day, he’s not met his grandchildren, Prince Archie (5) and Princess Lilibet (3). The Queen was not a fan of this kind of bad publicity.
“Meghan’s public disagreements with her father set alarm bells ringing at the time,” a Royal source claimed to The Mail (via Express). “Her Majesty realized the potential damage they could do to the Royal Family in general. Looking back, the Queen might have had an inkling of what was to come.”
Did the Queen accurately foresee the future or was the Harry-Meghan fallout simply a self-fulfilling prophecy? That’s one for the history books and/or gossip columns to ponder…
