prince Harry can't hide Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II's latest

Not every close bond is free from tension, especially when living under the public eye. In royal families, emotions coexist with protocol, and keeping the balance is not always easy. When one of those bonds is at the center of public attention, everything that happens is magnified.

Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II always showed a special closeness. She was amused by his departures from the script, and he found in his grandmother an unconventional support. But as happens even in the strongest ties, not everything was as straightforward as it seemed.

A conversation that changed the tone between Elizabeth II and Harry

When Meghan Markle entered Prince Harry's life, the couple spent time with Queen Elizabeth II. Together, they were part of intense moments, some memorable and others more discreet. As the years went by, everything began to come to light.

It was Lady Elizabeth Shakerley who received the confidence. A cousin of the queen and organizer of royal parties, one conversation was enough for her to understand the weight of the moment. "Harry was rude to his grandmother for ten minutes," Elizabeth II recounted.

Everything happened during the preparations for Harry and Meghan's wedding. Without consulting, the prince requested the Archbishop of Canterbury to officiate the ceremony in Windsor. That detail, without prior notice to the Dean, deeply upset Elizabeth II.

According to journalist Sally Bedell Smith, the queen was "dismayed" by the way decisions were made. Lady Elizabeth confessed that she never imagined seeing her so sad because of that family disagreement.

Meghan Markle ignored Elizabeth II's requests

Months before the wedding, Lady Elizabeth met Meghan and found her charming. However, the couple told her that they weren't including her in the wedding planning. Harry wrote to the royal organizer, "I'm close to my grandmother and she's happy with this."

But when Elizabeth Shakerley spoke with the queen, she denied having given her approval. That discrepancy was a clear sign that decisions weren't being shared. The royal discomfort was already hard to hide.

Even during a private tea, Elizabeth II tried to talk to Meghan to learn about her wedding dress, without success. For the monarch, that was another symbol of the emotional distance that was beginning to set in.

The relationship between Harry, Meghan Markle, and the queen broke down

Lady Elizabeth, who died in 2020, left testimony of a moment that few knew about. "She said she was very upset, it really struck me when the Queen told me how sad she was," she said. This marked the break between Elizabeth II and her, until then, favorite grandson.

The relationship between Harry and his grandmother, although strong, wasn't immune to conflict. Even though the relationship between Harry and Elizabeth had been close and strong, the relationship suffered cracks. In royalty, those cracks aren't always visible until it's too late.