Hugo Vickers’ new royal book reveals the turmoil Prince Harry and Meghan Markle caused Queen Elizabeth II in her final years

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers has offered a deeply personal and revealing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II’s final years, drawing on decades of research and more than 40 meetings with the late monarch. In his new book, the author claims the strain placed on the late monarch during what should have been a celebratory period was far greater than many realised. 

As the Queen approached her historic Platinum Jubilee in 2022, she was not only contending with declining health but also a series of mounting family challenges – including ongoing difficulties surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

The book, serialised in the Daily Mail, claims that in the latter stages of her life the monarch “had much on her mind”, citing “family problems with Prince Harry and the then Prince Andrew, and an increasingly maverick Prime Minister in Boris Johnson”. 

The author writes: “Whenever Prince Harry called his grandmother, she asked her lady-in-waiting to stay with her. The distress the Sussexes caused the Queen in the last years of her life cannot be overestimated. 

“How do I know any of this? My new book is based on 60 years of observation and research, at first from afar (rather like a trainspotter or stamp collector) but gradually closer to the centre and more focused.” 

He adds: “Over a period of 55 years, I must have met her more than 40 times. Sometimes these were just formal meetings, but at other times there was a chance to talk.”

The author goes on to suggest that Meghan’s arrival marked a clear turning point for Queen Elizabeth II and the traditions she upheld. 

While the monarch is said to have urged caution, advising Prince Harry to wait before marrying, her guidance ultimately went unheeded. 

“The Queen herself suggested that Harry should wait a year,” Hugo writes. “He did not take her advice. Instead, as we know, the wedding went ahead just over six months after the couple’s engagement.” 

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Hugo Vickers also paints a vivid picture of the wedding day itself, suggesting that while the occasion was marked by public celebration, Queen Elizabeth II maintained a notably reserved stance throughout. He also alleges that the late monarch was unimpressed by certain elements of the day, with one source claiming she “did not like the dress”.

 Someone close to the Queen is quoted as describing her attitude to the wedding in blunt terms: “You get on with it. It’s nothing to do with me.” Queen Elizabeth II by Hugo Vickers is set to be published on 9 April