Prince Harry feared he was blocked from meeting with the Queen by scheming family members, a new book claims.
In his unauthorised biography ‘Meghan: A Hollywood Princess’, royal author Andrew Morton suggests a one-on-one between the Duke of Sussex and the Queen was cancelled at the last minute.
Harry had been ready to sit down with Her Majesty only to be informed the conversation could not go ahead.
The book argues that the 37-year-old thought he'd been suspected of planning to use the "informal conversations" as a "negotiating tactic".
Mr Morton went on to claim that the confusing change of plans left Harry and Meghan fearing that the “entire institution” of the Royal Family was turning against them.
He write: "This sense that, despite their international popularity, they were low down the royal totem pole was confirmed when Harry arranged to meet the Queen for a grandson-to-grandmother chat in early January.
"At the last minute, the meeting was postponed. Harry suspected classic internal politics, his family concerned that anything the Queen agreed during informal conversations would be used by Harry as a negotiating tactic.
“The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them. As they saw it, the evidence was all around them.”
Mr Morton was not given permission to write the book by the Duchess of Sussex, 40, and has never met her.
Relations between the Sussexes and the rest of The Firm have been strained ever since they announced their departure as senior working royals in January 2020.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved across the Atlantic with son Archie, now two, and have since welcomed their daughter Lilibet Diana.
Next year Harry is due to publish a memoir which could contain scintillating and potentially explosive details.
It may go into detail about his relationship with older brother Prince William, which is believed to have been strained over the past few years.
The feud was reportedly sparked by William's concerns over Harry's fast-developing relationship with Meghan Markle.
From the moment Meghan came into Harry's life, tensions flared between the prince and William, according to last summer’s biography Finding Freedom.
“Don’t feel you need to rush this,” the older brother reportedly told the younger, adding: “Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.”
The book's authors, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, wrote that the phrase “this girl” immediately bothered Harry.
They said: “Harry was p***ed off… that his brother would ask such a thing.”
Speaking on the Channel 5 documentary Kate v Meghan: Princesses at War?, royal author Katie Nicholl said: “I think what was meant as well-intended brotherly advice just riled Harry.
"Harry is hugely protective of Meghan. He saw that as criticism. He interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union, and I don’t think things have been quite right ever since.”
