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Topics: Books, Celebrity, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Royal Family, UK News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Books, Celebrity, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Royal Family, UK News
According to a royal expert, the late Prince Philip had some very choice words to say about Meghan Markle before his passing in 2021.
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, who died the following year in 2022, reportedly wasn't too enthused about his grandson Prince Harry tying the knot with the former Suits star.
Royal author Andrew Lownie went as far as to claim that Philip allegedly gave Harry quite the stern warning about getting married to someone from the Hollywood industry ahead of his 2018 wedding to Meghan.
Writing in his recently published book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which hit shelves back in August of this year, Lownie claimed that Philip tried to steer Harry away from the marriage after he and Meghan got engaged in 2017.
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"One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them," he reportedly said, per the Daily Mail.
Another royal biographer, Ingrid Seward, made similar assertions in her 2023 book My Mother And I, suggesting Philip harboured reservations about Meghan from early on, saying he was 'one of the very few wary' of her.
Meghan's adjustment to royal life proved challenging following her marriage to Harry, Duke of Sussex, as the pair faced relentless attacks from the British press and internet trolls online, ultimately leading to their departure from the royal family just two years after their wedding - a move that became known as 'Megxit.'
Harry and Meghan later stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, and now live in Montecito, California, with their two children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
According to Seward, this decision deepened the rift between Philip and Harry.
"I think he's profoundly disappointed," Seward told Sky News in 2020. "He sacrificed his naval career to support the Queen and the institution of monarchy."
She continued: "From his perspective, why couldn't Meghan set aside her acting career to stand by her husband and fulfil her royal duties? He struggled to comprehend why she wanted to maintain such independence rather than focusing on supporting Harry and the monarchy."
It's important to note that Meghan did announce she would not be reprising her role as Rachel Zane on the hit American drama series shortly before revealing her engagement to Harry in 2017.
Tyla has reached out to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's representatives for comment.