Prince Philip’s straightforward reaction to Harry and Meghan’s engagement revealed in new royal biography

When Prince Harry announced his engagement to Meghan Markle in 2017, not everyone in the royal family was thrilled with the news. According to the biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, written by historian Andrew Looney, Prince Philip reacted very harshly. Upon learning of his grandson’s marriage plans, he allegedly said, “You can spend time with actresses, but you can’t marry them.” This statement was later confirmed by sources at The Sunday Times, who noted that such a barb was entirely in keeping with the spirit of the late Duke of Edinburgh.

However, Philip was not the only one who was cautious about Harry and Meghan’s whirlwind romance. In 2019, sources reported that Prince William warned his brother that the relationship was developing too quickly. Harry took this as criticism and reacted painfully. In his memoir Spare, he recounted the tension between the brothers, including a 2019 argument in which William called Meghan “difficult,” “rude,” and “abrasive” — and Harry claimed his brother was simply repeating negative tabloid headlines.

Despite all the past disagreements, Harry later clarified that William never tried to dissuade him from marrying Meghan — he was merely “voicing concerns” and warning that the couple’s future life would not be easy. Harry himself admits that he still doesn’t fully understand what his brother meant. But one thing is clear: from the very beginning, relations within the royal family were much more tense than they appeared from the outside.