The Prince and Princess of Wales became deeply concerned about Harry and Meghan’s alleged behaviour, and William took action after hearing about a conversation between the Queen and Harry which left the monarch ‘hurt beyond belief’
The ‘Fab Four’ just weren’t meant to be.
There was great excitement in Britain in May 2018 ahead of Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle. The country – and the late Queen – had welcomed the American actress with open arms, and there was a sense she would help modernise the monarchy for the next generation.
Behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace, however, there was a very different feeling. Tensions had ratcheted up in the build-up to the couple’s nuptials, with fraught staff faced with ‘constant complaints’ that was severely impacting their morale. It did not go unnoticed by Prince William and Princess Kate.
In his new biography, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, the Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers examines the lives of the future king and queen behind closed doors. And it includes their private reactions to Harry and Meghan’s behaviour – including a ‘hurtful’ interaction between Harry and the Queen, and allegations of bullying.
READ MORE: Prince William’s explosive two-word reply when Harry first told him about MeghanREAD MORE: Kate Middleton’s true feelings on Meghan and Harry laid bare after years of silence
In July 2025, royal author Sally Bedell Smith claimed that Lady Elizabeth Anson, a cousin and close confidante of Elizabeth II, felt that the monarch had been deeply hurt when Harry ‘was rude to her for ten minutes’ in a meeting in the lead-up to the nuptials. Her Majesty was said to be upset that Harry had asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the ceremony instead of the Dean of Windsor, as tradition would dictate. Lady Elizabeth said the fiery exchange with her grandson left the Queen ‘hurt beyond belief’.
According to Myers, upon hearing about the incident, William remonstrated with his brother for his ‘unforgivable behaviour’. With tensions running high amongst the stressed staff who were working hard to get across all the details for the wedding, ” [William] saw what was happening and apologised on behalf of his brother on more than one occasion”.
William and Kate had spent a great deal of time fostering a happy, relaxed working atmosphere – but in those few months, it was falling apart, with staff leaving all the time. The couple were not only fearful of the impact Harry and Meghan were having on team morale, but also how they would be able to work with the Sussexes moving forward.
A source told the author: “In one camp you had the people who cared, wanted those working in the household to enjoy themselves while working there, and on the other side it was something different every day. Nothing was ever good enough, there were constant complaints. It was exhausting.”
In July 2018, two months after the Sussexes’ wedding, William and Kate invited Harry and Meghan to their home in an attempt to clear the air surrounding the treatment of their staff. However, the couple refused to concede that they were responsible for the departure of two of Meghan’s PAs, nor for the unhappy atmosphere which saw members of staff reporting they were sick with stress.
“It had reached an intolerable situation for so many of them, there were a lot of issues surrounding people needing time off work, not wanting to come in or be on engagements on duty with Harry or Meghan,” an insider said. “Everything possible was being done at all stages to help them but nothing was ever good enough.”
Harry disputed the allegations of bullying in his autobiography, and instead claimed that Meghan had gone out of her way to create a happy working environment. He said: “Despite what certain people were saying about her, I never heard her speak a bad word about anybody, or to anybody. On the contrary, I watched her redouble her efforts to spread kindness.”
But the claims persisted. And at the beginning of 2019, William arranged to see his brother at his home to question him directly over Meghan’s behaviour towards palace staff. It allegedly resulted in the now-infamous ‘physical fight’ between the brothers during which William pushed Harry into a dog bowl.
Of course, William’s account has never been heard. But sources close to the future king have said Harry’s recollection of events are ‘massively overblown’. “One said, ‘It was a cheap shot [from Harry] to present such an argument. Tensions were running very high and yes there certainly were cross words exchanged that on reflection were regrettable, but the prince [William] is adamant there was no physical violence.'”
What is not debated is the issue at the centre of the meeting – Meghan. In his book, Harry said that William had ‘echoed the narrative of the tabloids, calling his wife ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’. While those close to the future king couldn’t confirm the exact words he used, they noted “it would have been a fair assessment if he did”.
Harry and Meghan’s treatment of their staff was also a major issue for Princess Kate. Having once been the voice of reason in the brother’s previous quarrels, she decided there was nothing more she could do.
“At first she had thought William and Harry’s squabbles were rooted in immaturity or stubbornness, on both sides, but Harry and Meghan’s attitude towards palace staff, who she and William cared about, set the couples on an entirely different course. Following Harry and Meghan’s wedding, things were undeniably different.
“One source who knew both couples well at this time suggested William and Catherine felt the Sussexes had ‘an agenda’. ‘They definitely thought the Sussexes’ behaviour stemmed from something more than being difficult. The whole atmosphere between them was pretty toxic.
“Meghan was being bullish, Kate found her abrasive. There was definitely a hope from her side [Catherine’s] that William could try and talk to Harry and settle things but that didn’t exactly happen … and at the end of the day, she had three young children, who were her focus and if anything she saw the inevitability of the parting of ways, although perhaps not to the extent of what eventually happened.'”
Extracted from WILLIAM AND CATHERINE by RUSSELL MYERS, published by Ebury Spotlight on 26th February at £22. Copyright © Russell Myers 2025.
