Leading up to his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018, Prince Harry received a serious warning from his grandfather, the late Prince Philip, regarding marrying an actress.
“You don’t go out with an actress, you don’t marry an actress,” Philip is said to have told Harry after his engagement to the Suits star in 2017, as detailed by royal biographer Andrew Rowney in his book, Qualifications, reported by the Daily Mail.
In another account, Ingrid Seward, a royal author, stated in her 2024 book, Mother and Me, that Philip was among the few who expressed caution about Markle when her relationship with Harry began in 2016.
Philip, who passed away in April 2021 at the age of 99, reportedly made a comparison of Markle to Wallis Simpson, the wife of King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1937 to marry her. Their relationship was viewed as scandalous because she had been married and divorced twice.
The couple remained together until Edward’s death in 1972.
Representatives for Markle and Buckingham Palace were not immediately available for comment.
When Harry, now 41, and Markle, 44, exchanged vows at Windsor Castle in May 2018, both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth were present. After the ceremony, Philip reportedly told Elizabeth, “It’s done, thank you.”
In January 2020, Harry and Markle announced they would step back from their royal duties and relocate to North America, where they now reside with their children, Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4.
Before his passing, Philip reportedly disagreed with their decision to leave royal life, saying privately he was “quitting immediately.”
Royal biographer Giles Brandreth noted that while Philip may not have agreed with Harry and Markle’s choices, he believed people should live as they see fit. He even described their candid interview with Oprah Winfrey as “insane.”
In a 2021 interview, Markle reflected on her time as a royal, calling it “almost unsurvivable” and stating, “I didn’t want to be alive anymore.” She also mentioned conversations within the royal family regarding concerns over how dark Archie’s skin might be.
