New royal book revelations suggest that the late Prince Philip issued a blunt warning to his grandson Prince Harry about marrying Meghan Markle — a caution rooted in the Duke of Edinburgh’s traditional views of royal life.
According to royal biographer Andrew Lownie, Prince Philip allegedly told Harry, “One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them,” shortly after the couple announced their engagement in 2017. The claim appears in Lownie’s new book Entitled, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Royal author Ingrid Seward echoed similar sentiments in her 2024 book My Mother and I, Philip, writing that Philip was “one of the very few wary” of Markle when she began dating Harry in 2016.
Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99, is also said to have compared Meghan to Wallis Simpson — the twice-divorced American whose relationship with King Edward VIII led to his abdication in 1936. Their marriage, widely considered one of the biggest scandals in modern royal history, remained controversial for decades.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor representatives for Markle, 44, have commented on the new reports.
Philip and Queen Elizabeth II did attend Harry and Meghan’s May 2018 wedding at Windsor Castle. But according to former royal butler Grant Harrold, the Duke reportedly quipped to the Queen, “Thank f–k that’s over,” as they exited the chapel — a remark that has circulated in royal circles for years.
The relationship between the couple and the royal establishment shifted dramatically in January 2020, when Harry and Meghan announced they would step back from their royal duties and relocate to North America. They now live in California with their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
Royal biographer Gyles Brandreth wrote that Philip declined to intervene in the couple’s exit, allegedly telling Queen Elizabeth he would “soon be out of it” and insisting that “people have to lead their lives as they think best,” even if he didn’t agree with their decisions.
Brandreth also claimed that Philip viewed Harry and Meghan’s bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey as “madness.”
In that interview, Meghan described life within the royal family as “almost unsurvivable,” revealing she had experienced suicidal thoughts and alleging that a senior royal raised concerns about how dark Archie’s skin might be.
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