Prince Harry Reportedly Cut Ties With a Childhood Friend Who Questioned His Relationship with Meghan Markle

When Prince Harry was getting serious with Meghan Markle, his childhood friend, Tom Inskip, suggested taking things slow, which Harry didn't appreciate.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle knew their love was eternal right away, but not everyone in their inner circles agreed. In the new book Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand reveal that one of Harry's best friends, Tom "Skippy" Inskip, told Harry to take things slower with Meghan—and that advice didnot go over well.

Apparently, Tom told Harry that he and Meghan should live together for a while before "doing anything more serious."

Even though the authors insist that Tom's advice "came from a good place," they add that Harry "didn’t totally see it that way."

"It really hurt him that someone he was so close to would not trust his judgment," a source close to Harry explained for the book.

Back when Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018, reports circulated that Tom and his wife, Lara Hughes-Young, weren't invited to the Sussexes' evening reception at Frogmore House. Apparently, the snub was a result of that unwanted advice. Last summer, however, the friends made amends. Unfortunately, it took a tragedy—Tom's mother-in-law's death—to bring them back together.

"Skippy and Harry are back as tight friends. When Harry heard about Lara’s mother’s horrible passing, it really hit a nerve," a source told The Sun at the time.

We're just glad they made up.

Kayleigh Roberts
Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.