The Queen thought Harry and Meghan’s behaviour was ‘mad’ and Charles told Harry ‘he wasn’t a bank’

In the days immediately following the Queen’s passing, amidst all the sorrow and longing, there was one spectacle that warmed many people’s hearts. Could this be real? Had Harry and William truly made amends?

The two princes and their wives emerged from Windsor Castle together to greet the crowds and take in their floral tributes, and we hurried to our television sets to watch.

We later learned that Prince William had come up with the idea to put on a unity demonstration, which would have undoubtedly touched his deeply religious grandmother. And for a brief moment, it appeared as though the feuding couples had traveled back in time to a time before resentment and scathing remarks had ruined their relationship.

Sadly, as sources close to the Royal Family have confirmed to me, it was all just a dream. The joint walkabout was one of the hardest things Catherine had ever had to do, she later acknowledged to a senior royal due to the animosity between the two couples.

Remember that this occurred prior to the publication of Spare, the autobiography written by Prince Harry that exposed both family secrets and his animosity toward his brother. It was before he produced the sappy Netflix documentary series with Meghan and the string of TV interviews in which he criticized the institution of the monarchy.

How do Catherine and William feel about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now if they previously found sharing a walkabout with them to be nearly intolerable?

In actuality, Harry had very few remaining family members who supported him by the time of his grandmother’s passing. Even the Queen, who had always loved him dearly, eventually grew weary of his outbursts.

She had grown tired of the heated arguments that Harry and his brother occasionally had in front of her. After that, Harry and Meghan began openly denouncing the monarchy and members of the Royal Family.

At that point, the Queen was genuinely perplexed by the couple’s actions and referred to them as “quite mad.” But she eventually came to think that her grandson’s love for his wife was “so consumed” by it that it was “clouding his judgment.”

She also felt let down because she saw the Sussexes’ departure as a missed opportunity in addition to being disappointed that Harry chose to forego performing his royal duties. Despite this, the Queen sincerely wished her grandson well and peace in the life he had chosen.

Harry called her frequently from California, on the other hand. But the Queen was troubled by his persistent attempts to voice his complaints. Finally, she instructed him to speak with his father directly. According to a source, “Her Majesty found Prince Harry’s calls quite trying and tiresome.” She would encourage him to speak to his father because she didn’t want to interfere with their relationship.

That also didn’t turn out well. Harry’s father, Prince Charles, simply stopped answering his calls after the boy yelled at him and demanded money repeatedly.

Charles responded that he wasn’t a bank when the Queen questioned why he hadn’t caved in.

On October 31, 2016, news of Harry’s connection to an American actress surfaced. Meghan Markle didn’t appear to be bothered; the same day, she shared a photo of two people spooning bananas on Instagram. But she appeared to quickly lose her composure.

Pictures of the prince’s gorgeous new girlfriend were suddenly in high demand, and the paparazzi were unavoidably following her.

Harry later admitted he was “terrified” for Meghan’s safety and feared history would repeat itself and she would endure the same unrelenting harassment his mother did, which he believed was the cause of her passing.

He claimed he had been engaged in “nightly legal battles” to prevent the media from publishing defamatory stories about Meghan and their relationship. On November 8, he issued a formal statement in which he urged the Press and online trolls to stop what he called the “wave of abuse and harassment” directed at his girlfriend. Unfortunately, he had not spoken with Charles or William before launching this inflammatory attack.

It was released with only 20 minutes’ notice to his father. On that day, Prince Charles had just arrived in Bahrain following a trip to the Gulf states organized by the Foreign Office. As any member of the Royal Family could have predicted, press coverage of his adoring son and his new girlfriend quickly replaced his tour.

Reports at the time claimed Charles had been “crushed,” but this was not accurate. Instead, he was disappointed in his son for what he saw as his lack of manners.

One former aide claimed, “He would never have done such a thing if the Queen was on tour.”

There is a hierarchy and a grid system, which is understandable, but Prince Harry appeared to believe that Meghan Markle would always come first.

William felt the same way. In his thoughts, his brother had reacted excessively. One of his former assistants later recalled, “It was all a bit dramatic, a bit OTT.” When told that the enormous attention Meghan was receiving was to be expected, Harry took offense. He was also upset with his family for what he perceived to be their lack of support.

‘As far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything that she was being put through, they had also been put through,’ he later remarked in the Netflix docuseries he made with Meghan.

The family members were of the opinion that since their wife had to go through it, why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? As a result, it was almost like a rite of passage. Why should you be treated differently? Why does she need to be protected? I remarked, “The element of race here makes a difference.

Harry’s protective instincts were greatly heightened by the “race element,” which had managed to elude his royal grandmother.

The Queen had tea with Meghan at their first encounter before even realizing she was mixed race. The monarch, who was accustomed to receiving a briefing before meeting someone new, said later, in conversation with a member of her inner circle, that she simply hadn’t been informed.

The Queen, who had Nelson Mandela as one of her close friends, would not have been in the least concerned if she had known at the time that Meghan’s mother was black.

She actually welcomed Meghan into the Royal Family with open arms and expressed her happiness that Harry had finally found love. But Meghan rejected the idea, saying, “I have Harry,” when Her Majesty suggested she seek the support and counsel of Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

The Queen was taken aback by her response because she had probably anticipated that her well-intentioned suggestion would be gratefully accepted. But it didn’t really matter because Meghan, in her opinion, could greatly benefit the monarchy.

The Queen was persuaded by the actress’s assured presentation abilities and her black heritage that she would make a wonderful champion for young women as she collaborated with Prince Harry in his capacity as a Youth Ambassador with the Commonwealth Youth Programme.

Meghan was reportedly “hugely excited” about the new endeavor. She would have known that the Queen held a special place in her heart for the Commonwealth and that receiving her support was a great honor.

According to sources, Meghan then diligently studied the Commonwealth and was spotted studying her notes.

However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary series seemed to imply that the Queen had undergone a significant change of heart only a few months after her passing. To the surprise of those who recalled Meghan’s excitement about her new position, the series mockingly referred to the Commonwealth as “Empire 2.0.”

We now know that William advised his brother to exercise caution before deciding to spend the rest of his life with Meghan Markle. Even after Harry stated that he was certain he wanted to wed her, William reportedly remarked, “Half a shot, Harold, she’s an American actress.”

Although it wasn’t the most diplomatic remark, he had his justifications. He was aware that Harry had been preoccupied with the idea of getting married and starting a family long before he met Meghan.

William, who had always looked out for his younger brother, was worried that a hasty relationship would end in marriage so soon. Harry, whose love for Meghan had grown intense, was hurt, though.

When he declared his intent to wed his father, there was yet another unpleasant surprise in store (who already knew about this from his elder son). First, William, who was in attendance at this meeting, questioned Harold: “Are you sure? ‘

He claimed to be. Then Charles made a shocking revelation, stating that he wouldn’t be able to support Meghan in the future while also supporting Camilla, William and Catherine, and their young family. Harry was enraged by this.

The slights intensified in his mind as his wedding day drew near. Meghan had the impression that Catherine was distant after meeting William and Catherine for the first time at Kensington Palace.

Later, the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge had demanded an apology from Meghan after she had mentioned Catherine’s hormones and implied that she had “baby-brain.” Then there was the famous argument over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress.

William and Charles observed Harry to be tense all the time. The prince had reportedly turned “petulant and short-tempered,” raising his voice at times to staff and even swearing, according to members of the bride and groom’s entourage. For his part, Harry was now certain that William disapproved of the bride he had chosen. Whether or not this was the case, the once strong bond between the siblings was severely deteriorating.

Prince Charles pondered his options as simmering grudges threatened to explode. For his part, he had welcomed Meghan and declared that her intellect and vivacity had captured his attention.

As a sort of “super-granny,” Camilla had also served her purpose by giving her humorous, practical advice. However, the actress made it clear that she would decide for herself. Like any loving father, Charles was upset when his sons fought, especially when it seemed that their animosity included both Meghan and Catherine. He worried that the conflict between Harry and William would be very difficult to manage and might have a negative effect on the monarchy itself because he was aware that both of them were obstinate and strong-willed.

Charles was occasionally shocked by the level of aggression between his sons and even towards him when they challenged him. William had once engaged in a heated discussion with him that actually left him shaken.

Charles’ temper is always short-lived, despite the fact that he himself has a short fuse. Being averse to conflict, he made the decision to stay out of William and Harry’s argument, believing that it would eventually blow over.

The jubilant crowds on May 19, 2018, the day of Harry and Meghan’s wedding, were blissfully unaware of the conflict between the brothers and the ongoing animosity between their wives.

The rift wasn’t publicly acknowledged until October 2019 when an ITV documentary about the Sussexes’ tour of South Africa aired.

Harry revealed for the first time his tense relationship with his brother, and his wife admitted that her life had been difficult in the background.

As a result, Prince William was enraged and felt betrayed. One person in his circle claimed to have felt particularly let down. He thought they had lost their mutual trust.

Now that there were rumors that the Sussex household was not a happy place to work, William was also concerned. There was an uncharacteristically high staff turnover rate, and unsettling allegations of bullying made by Meghan (vehemently refuted by the Sussexes’ attorney).

Harry thought that this was nonsense that had been enhanced by fabrications. But enough was enough; the backlash against Meghan led them both to the decision that it was time to start over away from the royal residence, the media, and the Royal Family.

As Christmas 2019 drew near, he informed his father that he and his wife had decided against being employed as full-time working royals and that they instead wanted a feasible schedule that would allow them to spend equal amounts of time in the UK and North America.

Charles, whose son would occasionally let off steam, listened but eventually declared that the plan was unrealistic. The Sussexes made their plans public, disregarding his well-considered advice.

Charles was understandably angry because no agreement had been reached. The Sussexes had disregarded what he had said, placing all of their hope in the Queen’s support. The Queen called the infamous Sandringham summit in January 2020 to decide what to do.

The monarch was so worried about privacy that, after consulting a professional, she had the library where the meeting would take place swept for pests. Meghan was rumored to join Charles, William, and Harry via video link from Canada, but the Queen declared that Meghan’s presence was “not necessary” because Harry would stand in for her. A video link was also thought to pose a security risk because Charles and William couldn’t tell if the meeting was being recorded or if Meghan had someone else listening in on her.

Naturally, the Sussexes did not get their desired outcome because they had made their play and failed. They relocated to California after quitting their jobs as working royals and began negotiating multi-million dollar contracts with Netflix and other businesses. Even Meghan was rumored to be thinking about running for president of the United States.

Harry’s relationship with his father and brother reached a terrifying new low after the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.

Following this, William went to his father and explained that the Royal Family needed a clear plan of action to deal with the rebel royals. Chuck concurred.

Harry’s father and brother made the decision to stop treating him as a valued, if frequently irritable, member of the family after that. They would never again encounter Harry alone, in a nutshell. There would need to be a second person present at all times.

Harry had the gall to say that his father and brother knew they were “trapped” in their royal roles and added, “And I have huge compassion for that,” further twisting the knife, that one of the family members was racist.

Harry’s haughtiness had greatly angered Charles and William, who were also horrified by his impoliteness and furious that he had the audacity to talk about their fictitious feelings.

Or, to put it a little more tactfully, “They were both deeply disappointed in him,” according to a senior source in the Royal Household. He lacked both the authority and the right to speak on their behalf.

Perhaps not surprisingly, when Harry saw his father and brother again at Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, there was no meaningful conversation. In addition, there was no attempt at reconciliation when Harry attended with his brother the July 1, 2021 unveiling of a statue of their mother at Kensington Palace. On their way to The Hague for the Invictus Games in April 2022, Harry and Meghan did make a stopover at Windsor Castle, where they were greeted by the Queen. She had consented to see her grandson under the condition that he also meet and speak with his father.

The Queen gave the couple a warm welcome, and it ended up being the last time Harry saw his grandmother. Along with Camilla, Charles was also present at the castle where he was substituting for his mother at the yearly Maundy Thursday service.

Harry and Meghan arrived late, adding insult to injury, so the meeting with Prince Charles lasted less than 15 minutes.

But in an effort to make amends, it was decided that the Sussexes would later attend the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with the rest of the Royal Family. Once more, there was a restriction: neither the royal palaces nor any members of the family would be accessible to the Netflix film crew that was traveling with them.

The National Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen was held on June 3 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Harry and Meghan duly arrived (which she could not attend). Some of the large crowd booed them.

The couple could no longer deny that they were outsiders and no longer belonged to the exclusive club of the British Royal Family, even if the message hadn’t yet been delivered.