Veteran royal correspondent Robert Jobson’s latest book, Our King, drops bombshells about the Princess of Wales as well as the ongoing feud between Prince Harry and his father King Charles and brother Prince William. But the book also speaks about Her late Majesty, especially when it came to her relationship with Harry and wife Meghan Markle.
The book claims that the Queen was “mystified” by Harry and Meghan’s January 2020 decision to step back as working members of the royal family, and that she found Harry so “consumed” by love for Meghan that she felt it “clouded his judgment.”
The Mirror cites the book as saying the Queen was “let down” by the Sussex step back decision, as she saw the couple’s departure as “a missed opportunity,” Jobson writes. Despite her disappointment, Her late Majesty had “great affection” for her grandson Harry and hoped he would “find peace and happiness” upon relocating from his native U.K. to Meghan’s native U.S.
“In truth, by the time his grandmother died, Harry had precious few supporters left in the family,” Jobson writes. “Even the Queen, who had always had great affection for him, eventually tired of his outbursts. First, she had wearied of the volatile exchanges between Harry and his brother, which sometimes took place in her presence. Then Harry and Meghan had started publicly criticizing both the monarchy and members of the royal family.”
Jobson continues “At that point, the Queen was frankly mystified by the couple’s behavior, describing it as ‘quite mad.’ She came to believe, however, that her grandson was ‘so consumed’ by his love for his wife that it was ‘clouding his judgment.’”
The book also cites a royal source as saying that Harry regularly called his grandmother from his new home base in California, but that she found their conversations “quite difficult and wearisome” and urged Harry to speak to Charles directly.
The book also outlines a tense exchange between father and son, when Harry intended to tell Charles his plans to marry Meghan—but William had already beat him to the punch. After Harry told Charles himself, William spoke first again, reportedly asking “Are you sure, Harold?” Charles then told Harry that he “couldn’t afford to pay for Meghan in the future” alongside his wife Camilla, William and his wife Kate, and their three children. This reportedly “infuriated” Harry.
The Mirror has also reported on another passage from the book—an exchange between the Queen and Meghan, who offered the Duchess of Sussex advice when she first joined the royal family. In the one-to-one chat between the two, Her late Majesty said she was “so pleased Harry had at last found love” as the Queen “warmly welcomed” Meghan into the family. The Queen advised Meghan to turn to Sophie, Countess of Wessex, for support. Meghan’s reply? “I’ve got Harry,” the book claims. Jobson writes that the Queen was “surprised” by Meghan’s remark.
Our King is out April 13.
