Cracks between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family began to show after their fairytale wedding – and there was one ‘ill-judged’ decision that really didn’t sit well with the late monarch, according to a new book
The Queen was once left seething over Meghan Markle’s “ill-judged choice” during a high-profile royal tour, an explosive new book claims.
The duchess was initially seen by the late monarch as a ‘breath of fresh air’ according to royal insiders, but Meghan’s desire to challenge the status quo soon began ruffling feathers behind palace walls. And one bold decision by Meghan, just nine months after her wedding, is said to have especially angered Queen Elizabeth II.
Harry and Meghan started dating in 2016, with the former Suits star going on to meet the Queen at Royal Lodge in October that same year, some 12 months before the couple got engaged. The monarch broke with tradition to invite Meghan to Sandringham at Christmas prior to her wedding to Harry. Neither Princess Kate nor Duchess Sophie were asked to attend until after their own nuptials.
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But she is said to have started to have concerns about Meghan’s behaviour and attitude the closer it got to the couple’s wedding in 2018, with matters taking a dramatic turn for the worse in the months after the fairytale day. To a large extent, the Queen kept her own counsel when it came to Harry and Meghan – although behind the scenes she is said to have become increasingly tired and bewildered by their demands and complaints.
Meghan’s penchant for an expensive designer wardrobe did prove to be a sticking point for Her Majesty, according to royal author Robert Jobson. Nine months after their wedding, in February 2019, Harry and Meghan headed off on an official tour of Morocco. While attending a reception at the British Ambassador’s residence, Meghan wore a bespoke, caftan-inspired Dior gown – the flowing cream-coloured dress featured crystal embellishments, which she paired with matching Dior accessories.
Dior confirmed the unique, one-of-a-kind dress was specially created by its Haute Couture workshops for the Duchess. She looked incredible – but the cost of her tour wardrobe was making headlines back home, and not in a positive way. And Jobson claims that it didn’t sit well with the frugal monarch.
“Certainly, the estimated £60,000 price tag for the Dior dress drew the Queen’s ire when she read about it in the press. She later let Meghan know that such an expensive outfit was an ill-judged choice,” the royal author notes in his new book, The Windsor Legacy, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail.
It was by no means the last time Meghan attracted attention for her eye-watering tour clothing. In August 2024, the couple went on a pseudo-royal visit to Colombia. They were there for just four days – but Meghan’s wardrobe totalled an extraordinary £90,000.
Elsewhere in his book, Jobson reveals how issues with money caused a major divide between Harry and the royal family, with his alleged cash demands pushing both his father and late grandmother away. Before the duke left Britain in 2020, the Queen and then-Prince Charles had reportedly arranged to cover security costs for him and his son Archie for a whole year. And in addition, Charles had allegedly offered to assist with household bills and living expenses while the Sussexes settled into their new lives – first in Canada and then in California.
But according to Jobson, Harry found the shift from being a working royal far harder than he’d expected. He writes how the duke once called his grandmother while she was taking tea – a precious daily ritual known by all those close to her. She was reportedly irritated and he was not put through. Undeterred, he called back the following day at a different time, and this time she took his call. The book reads: “After hanging up, she sighed and said in front of her staff: ‘More money.'”
As time went on, the late Queen became increasingly tired of the Sussexes’ demands and dramatics, and reportedly ordered that Harry’s phone calls now be redirected to his father. “Unfortunately for Harry, Prince Charles had also grown tired of his errant son’s rants,” Jobson writes. “After Harry swore at him over the phone one day and demanded funds, he stopped taking his calls. ‘I’m not a bank,’ Charles told his inner circle. Long-serving staff, who knew Harry well, were left in the awkward position of having to make polite excuses when his father wouldn’t come to the phone.”
The Mirror has approached Meghan’s team for comment. The Palace declined to comment.
The Windsor Legacy, by Robert Jobson, will be published November 6.
