In the weeks before her death in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II discussed Prince Harry's relationship with Meghan Markleas "a complete catastrophe," as detailed in reports between journalist and royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith.

The private thoughts of the late monarch emerged in Smith's Substack newsletter, Royal Extras, which is based on discussions with Lady Elizabeth Anson, a cousin and confidante of the Queen. The revelations contradict public statements that the relationship was warm.

Queen's Behind-The-Scenes Frustrations

The Queen was said to have expressed regret over how things had unfolded between Harry and Meghan in August 2022 at a Balmoral Castle get-together. She also allegedly described Meghan as "evil," with the source describing the moment as shocking, saying "everybody's eyebrows hit the ceiling."

"It was out of character for the Queen, but she saw straight through Meghan. At the drinks before the dinner, a small group were talking to the monarch and she explained that Harry meeting Meghan had become a complete catastrophe," one guest reportedly revealed.

By that point Harry and Meghan had stepped down from their roles as senior royals and moved to California with their children. The Queen was reportedly saddened most of all by Harry's exit from royal duties and the rift it has caused.

"She seemed regretful about how things had panned out," the source said, saying that the monarch was upset Harry had drifted since marrying Meghan two years ago.

The demeanor Meghan was exhibiting in advance of the 2018 royal wedding got the Queen to be "very worried," Lady Elizabeth Anson – Lady Liza to the family – reportedly once said, about Meghan's attitude ahead of the 2018 royal wedding.

Anson said during one meeting that Meghan wouldn't open up about her wedding dress, which made the Queen sad.

"I was shocked when the Queen told me this, how she was so saddened," Anson said. She also recalled the Queen telling her Harry had been "rude to her for ten minutes."

However, there were no public hard feelings on her part. In 2020, during the couple's withdrawal from royal duties, the Queen released a statement on the matter:
"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family," she said at the time.

Concerns Began Before The Wedding

In royal expert Ingrid Seward's book "My Mother and I," she stated that the Queen criticized Meghan's wedding dress as "too white" for a divorcee remarrying in church. The Queen had also confided to other insiders concerns about Harry being "besotted and weak," and about Meghan's alleged manipulation of the relationship, others said.

Anson recalled, "We hope but don't quite think she is in love. We think she engineered it all." She also claimed Harry did not understand the limitations of the monarchy.

"Harry seems to think the Queen can do what she wants, but she can't," she said.
The announcement by the couple in early 2020 that they would step back as working royals is said to have prompted the Queen to seek a compromise. Smith was told that the Queen had tried to prevent the fallout from happening, but it had failed.

Additionally, the Queen was reportedly upset about Harry and Meghan choosing to name their daughter Lilibet in 2021, following her arrival. A source was quoted as saying, "I don't own the palaces, I don't own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name. And now they've taken that."

Publicly, the Sussexes have said that they were close to Queen Elizabeth. However, the accounts shared by those close to the monarch present a more complicated view of her final thoughts on the couple.

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Queen elizabeth, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle