New Queen Elizabeth Book Explains Her True Feelings About Meghan And Harry's Relationship

First, they announced they would step away from royal duties, per Reuters. Then they moved far from Buckingham Palace to California. Then they had a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey where they openly criticized royal life. It's clear by now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have become controversial figures in the royal family. Their decisions have seemed to contribute to their allegedly strained relationships with top members of the firm including William, Prince of Wales, and King Charles III, according to Us Weekly.

Some have also started to question the Sussexes' relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II. According to Express, the queen was diagnosed with cancer before her death, yet Harry and Meghan declined a meeting with her, leading some to now wonder if the pair were no longer close with the monarch. The book "The New Royals," via Page Six also revealed that the queen was "very hurt" and "exhausted by the turmoil" caused by the Sussexes.

Marrying Meghan may have seemed like the reason for Harry's falling out with the queen — the couple's decision to exit royal life was named "Megxit" by the press, after all. However, a new book reveals how Queen Elizabeth really felt about Harry's relationship with Meghan.

In a new book titled "Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait," author Gyles Brandreth, a close friend of the royal family, shares Queen Elizabeth II's honest feelings about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's relationship. An excerpt of the book, available via The Mail on Sunday, reveals that the queen liked Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and did "everything to make her feel welcome" when she first joined the royal family. She approved of the Duke of Sussex's relationship with the American actress, though she worried that he was "perhaps a little over-in-love" with her.

Even as the couple came under fire from critics for their interview with Oprah Winfrey, the queen was reportedly unbothered. Brandreth writes, "I can tell you, because I know this, that the Queen was always more concerned for Harry's well-being than about 'this television nonsense.'" per the New York Post. The book also claims that the late monarch defended the Sussexes' choice to do the interview in a discussion with Prince Andrew, Duke of York, reminding him that his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, once gave a similar interview.