EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry 'Was Branded Insane by Friends' for Dating Meghan Markle
Prince Harry was branded insane by friends for dating Meghan Markle.
Sept. 13 2026, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
Prince Harry was branded "f------ nuts" by his old friends over his relationship with Meghan Markle after she reportedly clashed with his social circle during a shooting weekend, according to claims in a royal book, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Harry, 41, began dating Markle, 45, in 2016 before announcing their engagement the following year and marrying at Windsor Castle in 2018.
Prince Harry's friends branded him 'insane' over his Meghan Markle romance.
But royal biographer Tom Bower, has claimed in his book Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War between the Windsors some of Harry's longtime friends questioned the relationship after meeting the future duchess.
A source familiar with Harry's former social circle also exclusively told Radar: "There were friends who simply couldn't understand the relationship at the beginning. Meghan came from a completely different world and wasn't prepared to sit quietly when people made jokes or comments she found offensive.
"Some of them thought Harry had completely lost his mind because the dynamic between Meghan and his old crowd was so uncomfortable."
Prince Harry's Friends Questioned Meghan Markle Relationship
Meghan Markle clashed with Prince Harry's friends at a shooting weekend.
Bower described one encounter before Harry and Markle's relationship became public, when she accompanied the prince to a weekend gathering with 16 friends at Sandringham.
Many of the guests were reportedly friends from Harry's time at Eton College and spent part of the weekend shooting.
Bower wrote: "Like other shooting weekends, Harry was looking forward to endless banter, jokes, and a lot of drinking. Their jokes involving sexism, feminism and transgender people ricocheted around the living rooms and dining rooms."
According to Bower, Markle repeatedly challenged remarks that conflicted with her views.
He wrote: "Without hesitation, Meghan challenged every guest whose conversation contravened her values. According to some of Harry's friends, again and again she reprimanded them about the slightest inappropriate nuance. Nobody was exempt."
Meghan Markle Clashed With Harry's Social Circle
Prince Harry's friends traded shocked texts after meeting Meghan Markle.
Bower claimed her reaction created tension among the group and prompted an extraordinary exchange between Harry's friends after the weekend ended.
He wrote: "Meghan was a dampener on the party, they concluded. She lacked any sense of humour. Driving home after Sunday lunch, the texts pinged between the cars: 'OMG what about HER?' said one; 'Harry must be f------ nuts.'"
Another source told us: "The problem was bigger than one uncomfortable weekend. Harry's friends had known him for years and were accustomed to a particular kind of humor and social environment.
"Meghan challenged behavior that she regarded as inappropriate rather than trying to fit into that established group.
"To some of Harry's friends, that was interpreted as her having no sense of humor. From Meghan's perspective, there were things being said that she simply didn't find acceptable. It exposed a cultural and social divide very early in their relationship."
Harry's Friends' Concerns Continued Before Royal Wedding
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Meghan Markle and Thomas Inskip's circle reportedly clashed in Jamaica.
Bower claimed tensions surfaced again around the November 2017 wedding of Harry's friend Thomas Inskip in Jamaica.
He wrote: "Their suspicion of Meghan increased – the sentiment was mutual. Meghan disliked Inskip and his crowd. Their jokes and their attitude towards the world seemed unacceptable to her."
Harry and Markle announced their engagement later in November 2017.
They married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 19, 2018, before stepping back as senior working members of the royal family in 2020 and moving to California.
The couple subsequently settled in Montecito with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
