Prince William reportedly had a last-minute change of heart before Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle – with the late Queen getting involved
Queen Elizabeth reportedly intervened after Prince William snubbed his brother(Image: Samir Hussein, WireImagevia Getty Images)
The late Queen Elizabeth reportedly had to step in between Prince Harry and Prince William due to a significant disagreement just before Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding day.
The alleged tension between the brothers has been a subject of much discussion among royal enthusiasts in recent years, but one royal expert has shed light on when the rift may have begun to widen.
In Channel 5’s newly released documentary, Prince William: A Life in Pictures, royal commentator Charlotte Griffiths revealed how the Prince of Wales expressed his thoughts on Meghan Markle just hours before the world tuned in to watch the wedding at Windsor Castle.
Reflecting on the eve of Harry and Meghan’s big day in May 2018, Charlotte stated: “The fact is, William had been doubtful about the relationship and how fast it had moved, and had expressed that doubt, and it had caused much friction between the brothers.”
The incident apparently came about after Prince William had raised objections about Meghan Markle (Image: Chris Jackson, Getty Images)
While Prince William harboured increasing “doubt” about his brother’s impending marriage, the late Queen decided to step in as issues escalated: “To the point that the night before the wedding, William actually declined to go to the usher’s dinner. In the end, the Queen intervened and he agreed to go.”
Despite this, Meghan and Harry’s wedding day proceeded exactly as planned with millions watching the event from all over the world.
Newsweek’s Chief Royal Correspondent Jack Royston, while analysing a particularly upbeat photograph of the royal brothers, suggested that this was “probably the last time they shared a purely happy moment together”.
One royal commentator said that he thinks this picture might be one of the last times that the brothers shared a ‘happy moment’ together(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
In the years following this, the deterioration of their relationship has been publicly scrutinised. Perhaps the most significant insight into their strained relationship came with the release of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, which hit bookshops nationwide in January 2023.
In one passage from the book, Harry alleges that a disagreement escalated to physical violence when William labelled Meghan as “difficult, “rude,” and “abrasive.”
There has been much speculation into the brothers’ relationship in recent years(Image: Justin Setterfield, Getty Images)
Reflecting on the incident, which he claims occurred in 2019, Harry penned: “It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.”
He continued: “I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
Prince William: A Life in Pictures is scheduled to broadcast tomorrow evening (Saturday August 2) at 8:30pm on Channel 5.