The Queen Reportedly Shut Down Prince Harry's Demand That Meghan Markle Get Her Way on Her Wedding Day

In Battle of the Brothers, Robert Lacey describes a tense moment between the Queen and Prince Harry on the day of his royal wedding to Meghan Markle.

  • According to a new royal biography, Prince Harry and the Queen shared an awkward moment on the day of his royal wedding to Meghan Markle.
  • The moment in question reportedly went down after Meghan was denied her first-choice tiara for the big day, prompting Harry to declare "what Meghan wants, Meghan gets."
  • According to royal historian Robert Lacey, the Queen stepped in with the final word, telling Harry in no uncertain terms that Meghan "gets the tiara that she's given by me."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's time together in the royal family wasn't always perfect. But, according to a new royal biography, their awkward run-ins with the other royals began as early as their wedding.

In his new book Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, royal historian Robert Lacey recounts a moment during the royal wedding when Harry butted heads with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

The awkward moment apparently went down after Harry told staff members working on the royal wedding that "what Meghan wants, Meghan gets" after she was told she couldn't wear her first-choice tiara for the big day. Apparently, the Queen wasn't a fan of the declaration. In a short excerpt shared by the Mirror, Lacey writes:

"Not for the first time, nor sadly the last, the word 'no' pushed a button inside him and he flew into a rage. There were dressers and flunkies present, guarding and organizing the jewels, so it was inevitable that his now-famous exclamation should find its way to the outside world—What Meghan wants, Meghan gets!

Her Majesty did not approve. 'Meghan cannot have whatever she wants,' was was reported to have replied. 'She gets the tiara that she's given by me."

It's worth noting, of course, that there have been conflicting reports about Meghan and Tiaragate since the royal wedding. In their recent book Finding Freedom, royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand offered a very different account of events. Scobie reiterated how well the tiara selection process went during an interview with True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat.


"The tiara selection went wonderfully. The Queen was very happy, Meghan was very happy," he said, according to the Mirror. "In fact Meghan's words when that story came out were 'how sad, I love my tiara.'"

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Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. 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.