Queen Elizabeth II was 'uncomfortable' with King Charles stepping in to walk Meghan Markle down the aisle
LONDON, ENGLAND: Six years ago on May 19, 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot in a ceremony held in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, with friends, family, and famous people in attendance.
It was believed that Queen Elizabeth II was "uncomfortable" and disagreed with certain aspects of the great day. She was unhappy about a number of things, including King Charles' "standing in for Meghan's father, Thomas Markle."
Queen Elizabeth was 'not comfortable' with King Charles stepping in for Meghan's dad
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward addressed the 96-year-old monarch—who passed away in September 2022—and her feelings over the unconventional elements of Meghan and Harry's wedding in her book 'My Mother and I'.
The author wrote in her book referring to how the then-Prince Charles escorted the 'Suits' alum down the aisle after her father was unable to attend the celebration due to a health scare.
"The Queen was not comfortable with the Prince of Wales standing in for Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, and was similarly concerned about a 96-year-old Prince Philip walking down the aisle without a stick, having had a hip replacement only five weeks before," Seward wrote.
Subsequently, it was revealed that Harry needed to request the intervention of the present King, per OK! Magazine.
The 39-year-old stated in the 'Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70' documentary, "I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming and he immediately said, 'Yes, of course, I'll do whatever Meghan needs and I'm here to support you'."
Queen Elizabeth II had an issue with Meghan Markle's Givenchy wedding dress
Meghan opted for a simple white Givenchy wedding gown featuring three-quarter-length sleeves and an open bateau neckline. In another segment of her book, Sewards stated that Elizabeth also had an issue with Meghan's wedding gown.
The late Queen apparently thought the Duchess's outfit was "flamboyant" and unsuitable for a divorcee, despite the fact that many others thought Meghan looked elegant. (Meghan was married to Trevor Engelson before she began dating Prince Harry.)
Sewards wrote: "Lady Elizabeth told me that the Queen had made only one remark to her about Meghan and Harry's wedding, which was that the bride's Givenchy wedding gown was 'too white'."
"In the monarch's view, it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal."
While Queen Elizabeth never officially shared her thoughts about Meghan, she did confide in her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, as the two used to talk on the phone every day, per The Mirror.
The late monarch was reportedly 'desperate' for the ceremony to end
Archbishop Michael Curry delivered a 14-minute sermon on the power of love during the royal wedding. Although he had not met Meghan and Harry before the wedding, he claimed it did not take him long to realize how much the couple loved each other.
Not every visitor, though, found his sermon enjoyable. Among the visitors who were "startled by the impassioned outpourings" from Curry was reportedly Queen Elizabeth. Long sermons were detested by both Prince Phillip and the Queen, per The Mirror.
According to author Sewards, they were both "desperate for him to finish". She continued: "They must also have been aware that some of those around them were stifling their laughter."
Queen Elizabeth was concerned for Prince Philip during Harry and Meghan's wedding
Prince Philip had hip replacement surgery just five weeks prior to Meghan and Harry's nuptials. It's said that his monarch wife was worried about his ability to go down the aisle.
Ingrid stated in her book: "She was also concerned about 96-year-old Prince Philip’s decision to hobble down the aisle without a stick, despite having had a hip replacement just five weeks before." Fortunately, Philip appeared to be in excellent shape that day.
