The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have seemingly got their Happy Ever After, Meghan as an influencer while she and Harry raise their children in California, but drama that reportedly started just before their wedding will always loom large
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to have had their happy ending after some very turbulent years leading up to their decision to step down as senior royals – and then the almighty fallout from Megxit in 2020.
They live in a beautiful mansion in Montecito with their children Archie, six and three-year-old Lilibet, who often appear with their faces hidden on their mum’s social media as she promotes her Netflix show With Love, Meghan and her lifestyle brand As Ever. However, the couple experienced discord and drama long before they decided to move abroad for a new life.
The months leading up to their fairytale wedding back in 2018 were reportedly less than idyllic. Outwardly, their big day on Saturday, May 19, 2018, looked nothing short of perfect family togetherness.
Prince Charles walked his future daughter-in-law down the aisle, while Prince William appeared the proud big brother, as Harry’s best man. But behind the scenes, royal author Tina Brown said it was a very different story.
READ MORE: Prince Harry’s feud with King Charles and why it will ‘never be resolved’
In her bestselling book ‘The Palace Papers’, Brown even went so far as to claim that the lead-up to the wedding was a “s*** show” and said sources told her: “Preparation for the Sussex union was all drama, all the time.”
According to Brown’s book, aides said they had become “fed up” with Harry and Meghan’s constant demands.
Royal writer Tom Bower also claims Meghan was too demanding. This included a “clash” of opinion with Angela Kelly, the late Queen Elizabeth’s personal advisor for her wardrobe, over her wedding tiara.
Writing in his biography ‘Revenge’, which was about Harry and Meghan’s feud with the Royal Family, Bower said: “Meghan alighted on a tiara sparkling with emeralds. Her choice was approved by Harry. Kelly suggested that its Russian origin made it unsuitable.”
Harry was reportedly furious, which led the Queen to put her grandson “firmly in his place” and he was warned that “Meghan cannot have whatever she wants. She gets what tiara she’s given by me,” The Times reported.
With the emerald-encrusted headpiece no longer an option, the former Suits star opted for the £2 million Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau. The small but mighty diamond cluster brooch features ten diamonds and was made for Her Majesty’s grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1932.
Like many brides-to-be, the duchess was keen to ensure all details were covered and that her hairstyle on the day would work with her headwear. Therefore, she is said to have asked for her tiara to be taken out of storage for her hairdresser from New York to have a look at.
The Daily Mail reports that the request was refused as The Queen needed to give her permission. It is not understood whether Meghan was able to go to the Queen to get the permission she needed or not, but it was claimed that Harry’s angry response meant that he was brought before his granny for further admonishment, according to Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother.
For her book, she spoke to Lady Elizabeth Anson, Queen Elizabeth’s cousin and close friend, who said that Her Majesty was not pleased with Harry.
However, the biggest and most well-documented drama was that of the flower girl dresses. According to Bower, Kate allegedly believed that the bridesmaids should follow royal tradition and wear tights. However, Meghan reportedly insisted they break with this tradition.
Their biggest disagreement was over the length of Charlotte’s hem, which Kate believed was too short for the three-year-old princess. Meghan’s assistant Melissa Toubati and dress-fitter Clare Waight Keller claimed to have “witnessed Meghan emphatically reject Kate’s observation,” Bower said.
It was widely reported after the wedding that this caused Kate to burst into tears. Meghan was described as a “diva and a bridezilla.”
The Duchess of Sussex got the chance to put across her side of the story in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey – claiming they were her tears, not Kate’s. “A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining – yes, the issue was correct – about flower-girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings,” Meghan told Oprah.
“What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn’t do but that happened to me.
“And the people who were part of our wedding going to our comms team and saying, “I know this didn’t happen”. I don’t have to tell them what actually happened,” she added.
The interview added fuel to the fire, with Meghan also implying that the royals were racist due to questions from a senior family member on how dark the couple’s first son, Archie, would be. Oprah was horrified, and Meghan looked deeply hurt.
Following the airing of the interview, the revelation led to reporters asking William if his family was racist while on a school visit. The race row was a shocking attack on the monarchy, and it seems that Harry realised this.
Two years on in 2023, he spoke to baffled ITV journalist Tom Bradbury to clarify that Meghan never accused his family of racism in an interview. Instead, Harry called it “unconscious bias”, but the clarification came too late.
The damage was done, and furthermore, his 2023 memoir ‘Spare’ and its eye-boggling revelations – including William launching a physical attack on Harry and how Kate took umbrage to Meghan joking she had baby brain due to being pregnant with her youngest Louis – do not suggest a heartwarming reconciliation is on the cards anytime soon.
