Prince Philip famously never minced his words and it’s been revealed that months before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding he made a rather blunt remark about his grandson’s choice of fiancée. Harry and Meghan tied the knot at Windsor Castle in May 2018 and announced their engagement the previous November, after just over a year of dating.
Their news was met with excitement from fans across the world as they looked forward to another royal wedding. Behind closed doors, Prince Philip’s response to Harry was allegedly the warning, "One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them".
Royal author Andrew Lownie made this claim in his tell-all book, Entitled, and it’s also been suggested over the years that Philip nicknamed Meghan "DOW" after American divorcée Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.
It was for love of Wallis that King Edward VI abdicated, leading to Queen Elizabeth’s father ascending the throne. She was not looked upon kindly in royal circles and it’s been widely reported that Philip felt the Duchess of Sussex reminded him of Wallis.
Whilst his supposed comment upon hearing of the Sussexes’ engagement might be considered harsh, he wasn’t alone in expressing reservations. Prince William was anxious about the speed at which the romance was moving and the Duke of Sussex remarked upon this in Spare.
The King’s youngest son recalled his brother telling him it was "too fast" and "too soon". Meanwhile, in The Windsor Legacy by Robert Jobson, it’s also stated that William was "uneasy" about his brother’s choice to pop the question to Meghan when he did.
"He thought Harry was moving too fast and didn’t know her well enough," Jobson writes. "Harry took this as an insult, and tensions flared. While William did not explicitly warn him against marrying her, Harry interpreted his comments as scepticism about his new girlfriend Meghan’s fitness for royal life."
Regardless of this alleged warning from his grandfather and his brother’s worries, Harry married Meghan in a ceremony watched by millions of people. Just under two years later, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed they were stepping back as working royals.
It’s believed a summit was held at Sandringham House in January 2020 to discuss the Sussexes’s future and whether they could forge a path as half-in and half-out of The Firm. It was attended by Queen Elizabeth, Harry, William and the now-King Charles, but not Philip.
Jobson declares, "The answer from the top was clear: no halfway role was possible. They were either in or out. Her Majesty’s ruling deepened the existing tensions in the family, particularly between Harry and William. Prince Philip, once a mentor to Harry, was so angered by what he saw as a threat to the family’s cohesion that he stayed away."
The Duke of Sussex was close to his grandfather and had succeeded him as Captain-General of the Royal Marines in 2017. At the time, Philip quipped, "Don’t f*** it up", and Harry is said to have been devastated when he was stripped of this title in 2021 after stepping back.
In August this year the Duke of Sussex asked for a wreath and letter to be laid on his behalf to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, and it paid tribute to the Prince.
"My late grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in the Pacific campaign," the Duke declared. "He spoke with quiet humility about those years, but I know how deeply he respected all who stood beside him in that theatre of war. Today, as I think of him, I think also of each of you, of the shared hardships, the bonds forged, and the legacy you leave."
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