In March 2021, the Sussexes sat down for a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they made allegations of racism and familial discord. The timing couldn’t have been worse; Prince Philip, then 99, was in the hospital undergoing a heart procedure, reports the Mirror.
He passed away just one month later. Just two months after the Queen lost her beloved husband, Meghan gave birth to a daughter. In a surprising move, they announced that they had named her Lilibet – the Queen’s childhood nickname.
The name choice sparked immediate controversy and confusion. The BBC reported that the Queen hadn’t been consulted, and while Harry claimed he had received her blessing, Buckingham Palace remained mum on the matter. The Sussexes’ attorneys described the BBC coverage as ‘false and defamatory’ and warned of potential legal action – though no case was ultimately filed. Royal commentator Robert Jobson suggests the Queen was deeply upset by what transpired.
“A Palace source has a different version of events, which is that the Queen first learned of Lilibet’s name from the morning press, and was so incensed at the affront that she threw the paper to the floor, startling her staff,” Jobson writes in his latest book, The Windsor Legacy, as reported by the Daily Mail.
“Later, during one of the Sussexes’ final UK visits before her death, they skipped a planned tea – that daily ritual so precious to the Queen. What’s more, they skipped it without giving her notice. She had requested a special cake. By 5.15pm, with no word, she told staff to clear everything away.”
The relationship between the Queen and Prince Harry allegedly kept worsening. Following the death of Prince Philip, the monarch remained primarily at Windsor Castle, where she lived quietly as her health weakened.
She died on 8 September 2022 at age 96, sparking worldwide mourning and tributes.
Precisely three months after her passing, Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary launched. The couple revealed bombshell allegations and disclosed intimate family exchanges on screen, including Harry receiving a message from William following the Oprah sit-down.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle reenacted her curtsy to the Queen, likening it to a scene from Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. Critics at the time deemed the scene disrespectful.