When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement in November 2018, the late Prince Philip reportedly issued a stark warning to his grandson. According to royal biographer Andrew Lownie, Philip cautioned Harry: 'One steps out with actresses, one doesn't marry them.'
The Duke of Edinburgh was said to be wary of Meghan from the early stages of the couple's romance. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward revealed that Philip was 'one of the very few wary' of the Duchess and even gave her a nickname, 'DOW', drawing a comparison to Wallis Simpson, the American socialite for whom King Edward VIII abdicated the throne.
Despite his reservations, Prince Philip attended Harry and Meghan's wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor on 19 May 2018. However, his misgivings deepened after the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. Seward noted that Philip struggled to understand why Meghan could not follow his example of giving up his naval career to support the monarchy.
In a 2020 interview, Seward said: 'I think he's very, very disappointed because he feels he gave up his naval career in order to stand by the Queen. Why can't Meghan just give up her acting career, support her husband and support the monarchy?'
Prince Philip was not alone in his concerns. In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry revealed that his brother Prince William also felt the engagement was 'too fast' and 'too soon', and had been discouraging about Harry even dating Meghan.
