What We Know About Prince Philip's Relationship With Meghan Markle

In the early morning hours of Friday, April 9, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip had died "peacefully." At 99 years old, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband to Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-serving consort in British history, having served the Queen from 1952 until his death. Since the news of Prince Philip's death was announced, crowds of mourners have gathered at Windsor Castle to lay bunches of daffodils, tulips, roses, and lilies outside of the palace. Details regarding the funeral arrangements are to come (via BBC News).

Prince Philip's death came after a month-long stay in a London hospital to undergo a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition. In fact, Prince Philip was in the hospital during Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7, in which the couple accused the royal institution of racist behavior, according to BBC News. The royal family did their best to not overwhelm Prince Philip with the details of the interview after he was released from the hospital. As royal commentator Katie Nicholl told 9Honey, though it was impossible to shield the royal from chatter regarding the interview, they did their best to "protect [Prince Philip] from the full force of the fallout."

Prior to the tell-all, Prince Philip had already voiced his disappointment in his grandson for leaving his royal duties behind in February of 2020 (per Vanity Fair).

Though Prince Philip was fond of Meghan Markle at first, Ingrid Seward — author of the first Prince Philip biography in over three decades, Prince Philip Revealed – told Vanity Fair that he "harbored doubts" about Meghan. In fact, Seward claims that Prince Philip began to doubt the relationship between his grandson and Meghan back in 2018 when Harry pulled out of a shooting weekend at the last minute because Meghan did not want him to kill game birds. According to Seward, Meghan's behavior complicated relationships with those close to Harry.

In the earlier days of Meghan and Harry's relationship, Prince Philip often compared Meghan to Wallis Simpson, who caused drama in 1936 when Edward VIII gave up his crown to marry her. The relationship between Meghan and Prince Philip became even more strained when Harry and Meghan left their royal duties behind. "Philip simply cannot understand how Harry has behaved the way he has done," Seward told Vanity Fair. "His grandson's behavior is completely alien to him so not unnaturally the relationship has suffered. Don't forget this is a man about to turn 100 who has devoted 68 years of his adult life to supporting the monarchy, and this has been a great shock."

A source close to Meghan and Harry told the Daily Mail that they will do their best to get to the United Kingdom to be with the family during this sad time.