Royal Biographer Reveals How Queen Elizabeth Really Felt about Prince Harry Quitting Monarchy — 'The Distress Caused Cannot be Overestimated'
Queen Elizabeth's true feelings behind Prince Harry's decision to leave the royal family have been documented in a new book.
April 2 2026, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth's anger at Prince Harry's decision to quit the royal family has been documented in a new bombshell book, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Royal biographer Hugo Vickers claims the Duke of Sussex's ruthless move triggered a loss of trust from his grandmother, aided by his tell-all book Spare and interview with Oprah Winfrey, which resulted in the monarch refusing to take calls from him without another person present.
The Queen's trust of Prince Harry was dented after his left the royal family with wife Meghan Markle.
Vickers, a longtime friend of the royal family, writers: "Whenever Prince Harry called his grandmother, she asked her lady-in-waiting to stay with her.
"The distress the Sussexes caused the Queen in the last years of her life cannot be overestimated."
Harry, 41, moved his family to California in 2020 after his plan to be "half in, half out" as a working royal was scuppered by his grandmother.
He then went on to make millions from selling tales of his life as the youngest son of King Charles and Princess Diana.
The Queen Requested Company to Meet Her Granddaughter
The Queen also refused to see Prince Harry and Markle by herself when they introduced her granddaughter, Lilibet.
Vickers also noted the late monarch, who died in September 2022, had refused to see the couple by herself when they brought their daughter, Princess Lilibet, to meet her for the first time during the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.
He says: "Prince Harry was at [his then-residence] Frogmore Cottage with his wife and two children, the gate adorned with balloons to celebrate baby Lilibet’s first birthday.
"They visited the Queen with the children, again with a lady-in-waiting present."
As previously reported, the Queen had refused to let them bring their photographer to capture the moment she met Lilibet, fearing the publicity-hungry pair would release the photo.
Queen Advised Prince Harry To Delay Marrying Meghan Markle
The Queen advised Prince Harry to wait marrying the former 'Suits' star.
And it appears the Queen was dismissive of her grandson’s new life in the U.S., telling a friend: "And now Harry has opted out, and for what? To be a carer for (his son) Archie?" Vickers writes.
Vickers also alleged in his book, Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History, that the Queen had advised Harry to wait before marrying Meghan, a one-time actress and a divorcée.
He writes: "Prince Harry would never have been allowed to marry such a girl at an earlier time in the reign for obvious reasons, but the union was welcomed by a younger, more tolerant generation.
"Staff at Windsor Castle surrounded the young couple at the Christmas party in 2017, nicknaming the bride 'Sparkle.'"
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Prince Philip was not convinced by Markle, referring to her as 'The American.'
"Prince Philip was not taken in," Vickers writes, "He referred to her as 'The American.' Nor were the Royal Family entirely happy, Prince Charles taking a Mountbatten line – have fun with her, but don't marry her. The Queen suggested that Harry should wait a year."
Harry did not wait. He wed Markle in a lavish ceremony at St. George’s Cathedral in Windsor in May 2018.
"It was said that the Queen did not like the dress – too white and with ungainly shoulders," Vickers adds. "Someone close to the Queen said her attitude to the actual wedding was: 'You get on with it. It's nothing to do with me.'"
