Before his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018, the late Prince Philip reportedly gave his grandson Prince Harry a stern warning about marrying an actress.
“Dating an actress doesn’t mean marrying an actress,” royal biographer Andrew Rowney said in his book Rights, according to the Daily Mail, after the Duke of Edinburgh got engaged to the Suits alum in 2017.
In her 2024 book, Mother and Me, Philip, royal author Ingrid Seward also said that Philip was “one of the few people who was wary” of Markle when she and Prince Harry began dating in 2016, the outlet said.
Mr Philip, who died in April 2021 at the age of 99, also compared Mr Markle to Wallis Simpson, wife of the late King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne to marry in 1937.
The former Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s marriage was seen as a scandal as the socialite had been married and divorced twice.
They remained together until Edward’s death in 1972.
Representatives for Markle, 44, and Buckingham Palace could not immediately be reached for comment.
When Prince Harry, 41, and Markle tied the knot at Windsor Castle in May 2018, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2022, were also in attendance.
According to Grant Harrold, a former royal butler, Philip told Elizabeth immediately after leaving the chapel: “It’s done, thank you.”
In January 2020, the couple announced they were stepping down from royal duties and choosing to move to North America, where they now live with their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
Philip reportedly refused to comment on Prince Harry and Markle’s decision and reportedly told Elizabeth that he was “quitting immediately.”
According to US Sun newspaper, royal biographer Giles Brandreth said that although the Duke of Edinburgh did not agree with the couple’s choices, he believed that “people should live their lives as they think is best”.
Brandreth also wrote that Philip called Prince Harry and Markle’s revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey “insane.”
In a 2021 interview, Markle told the TV personality that her life as a royal was “almost unsurvivable.”
“I didn’t want to be alive anymore,” she said.
Markle also spoke about how members of the royal family once allegedly discussed their concerns about “how dark[Archie’s]skin was when he was born.”
