The late Queen made a very telling comment when she was told that Meghan Markle would not be in attendance at Prince Philip's funeral, a royal expert has revealed.
Philip passed away in April 2021 at the age of 99. The Queen was heartbroken by his death; they had been married for 74 years and he was her "strength and stay" for the duration of her 70-year reign.
His death came at a difficult time for the royal family. Just one month earlier, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down for their explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they made a number of shocking allegations about the institution - including claims that members of the family had speculated about how "dark" their son's skin might be.
They also alleged that Princess Kate had made Meghan cry shortly before their wedding and stated that the palace had 'perpetuated falsehoods' about the couple.
The late Queen with her "strength and stay", Prince Philip (PA)
Philip's death just came shortly after Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview (Getty Images)As a result, relations between Harry and Meghan and the rest of his family were incredibly strained. And there was much speculation about whether or not Meghan would attend the funeral given the tension provoked by the interview.
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At the time, Meghan was pregnant with the couple's second child, and COVID restrictions were still in place; the Queen famously had to sit alone during the service as she said goodbye to her beloved husband.
It was decided that Meghan would remain at home in California, while Harry travelled to London alone.
In his book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors, biographer Tom Bower claimed the Queen was relieved by Meghan's absence.
Mr Bower alleges that when Her Majesty was told by aides that Meghan would be absent, she simply responded by saying: "Thank goodness."
The late Queen sat alone at Prince Philip's funeral, in line with Covid guidelines (Getty Images)It comes after another renowned royal biographer revealed that Prince Harry greatly upset the Queen with some of his behaviour.
While grandmother and grandson had previously enjoyed a close relationship, the late monarch found herself in an impossible position as a result of Harry's actions.
In her new book, My Mother and I, Ingrid Seward delves into Prince Harry's public fall-out with his family - and his "anger" at the British monarchy.
"He had discovered a way of making himself the centre of attention and that was by dissing his family, about whom he felt increasingly bitter," Ingrid writes. While his fall-out with his brother was one thing, perhaps not uncommon amongst siblings, "the anger aimed at the British monarchy, his father and step-mother, was totally unnecessary".
"His anger eventually destroyed his credibility in other areas of his life, and his grandmother, the late Queen, found herself in an impossible position. However much she loved Harry - and she did - she couldn't condone the way he was speaking about the institution of the monarchy that she had spent 70 years preserving."
According to the author, Lady Elizabeth Anson - a cousin and intimate friend of the Queen, who would speak to her on the phone on a daily basis - further confirmed that Harry's attitude had "upset his grandmother".
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Elsewhere in the book, Lady Anson also reveals how the Queen felt about Harry and Meghan's romance - "'Too in love' was her response to being under his future wife's spell," she says.
- Tom Bower's book is available to buy on Amazon.
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