The Queen and Prince William were reportedly so worried about Meghan Markle’s “behavior and attitude” that they approved a decision to ban Meghan from borrowing tiaras and jewelry from the Royal Collection.
Writing in the Daily Mail, royal expert Dan Wootton claimed that William had reservations about Harry and Markle’s relationship from the beginning.
Wootton also claimed the Queen warned Harry about Meghan’s “behavior and attitude” following the widely reported “tiaragate” incident that happened in the lead-up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018.
William advised Harry not to rush his relationship with Meghan
Royal biographers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand reported in their book Finding Freedom that William warned Harry about Meghan before they married. The Duke of Cambridge reportedly advised Harry not to rush his relationship with Meghan but to take his time to get to know Meghan better before marrying her.
“Don’t feel you need to rush this. Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl,” William reportedly said
However, William’s advice rubbed Harry the wrong way. Harry found his brother’s comment offensive and thought he was being snobbish. He also reportedly objected to William referring to Meghan dismissively as “this girl.”
Royal watcher Katie Nicholl claimed that William later regretted talking to Harry about Meghan and believed the conversation led to the rift between him and the Sussexes.
William had questioned Meghan’s motives before Megxit
William reportedly continued to wonder about Meghan’s behavior and motives after she married Harry, but he kept his reservations to himself following his first misstep.
“William soon began to wonder about some of Meghan’s traits and motivations,” a royal source told Wootton. “He was worried that at times she seemed to be more concerned about her personal progression or profile over the wider goals and aims of the Royal Family.”
But William was unable to hide his disapproval of Meghan after Megxit because he felt that Meghan disrespected the Queen and the Royal Family.
The Queen also expressed concern about Meghan after “tiaragate”
There are various conflicting accounts of the “tiaragate” incident, including Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s account in their book, Finding Freedom, Robert Jobson’s account in his book, Charles At Seventy, and Dan Wootton’s account published in The Sun.
However, the different versions of the incident agree that in February 2018 — three months before their wedding — Harry accompanied Meghan to Buckingham Palace to choose Meghan’s wedding tiara from the Royal Collection.
Some versions of the story claim that when Meghan chose the tiara she wanted (there are various claims about the particular tiara she chose), royal aides said she couldn’t have it and that she would have to choose another one. Meghan insisted that she wanted it, and Harry backed her. But when royal aides insisted she couldn’t wear it, Harry lost his temper, and a row ensued.
During the dustup over the tiara, Harry reportedly snapped at royal aides: “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.”
However, Omid Scobie and Durand claim in their book Finding Freedom that the clash happened after Meghan had chosen a tiara and requested access for a trial with her hairdresser before the wedding. Prince Harry reportedly forwarded Meghan’s request to the Queen’s aide, Angela Kelly, who allegedly did not respond.
Harry reportedly thought Kelly was ignoring Meghan, so he lost his temper and got into a “heated exchange” with the royal dresser, during which he used offensive language.
William approved the Queen banning Meghan borrowing from the Royal Collection
The Queen intervened in the clash over Meghan’s tiara and reportedly reprimanded the Sussexes over their behavior.
Wootton claimed he learned from Palace sources that after tiaragate, the Queen called Harry and warned him about Meghan’s “behavior and attitude.”
Since most of the accounts focus on Harry’s angry exchange with royal aides, it is not clear what aspect of Meghan’s “behavior and attitude” the Queen objected to. However, Wootton reported that the Queen approved a decision to ban Meghan from borrowing from the Royal Collection after the incident.
William reportedly backed the decision.