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Queen Elizabeth II was allegedly thankful that Meghan Markle didn’t attend Prince Philip’s April 2021 funeral, a new royal biography has claimed.
Famed British author Tom Bower — who is known for his biographies about the royals and notable figures in the business and media world, most of which are not sanctioned by the subjects — will release a new “tell-all” book about Markle and Prince Harry next week titled “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.”
Ahead of its release, London’s The Times shared an excerpt of Bower’s upcoming book that describes the Queen’s alleged reaction to Markle missing the funeral of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, in Windsor, England. The Duke of Edinburgh passed away on April 9, 2021, two months before his 100th birthday.
“‘Thank goodness Meghan is not coming,’ the monarch said in a clear voice to her trusted aides,” Bower wrote in his book.
The author — who previously penned the unauthorized Prince Charles biography “Rebel Prince” — claimed in the book that the Queen made the alleged comment inside the chapel of Windsor Castle on the day of her late husband’s funeral.
International Business Times could not independently verify Bower’s claims in the book. Buckingham Palace has not commented on the book’s claims as of this writing.
Prince Harry flew from California to the U.K. to attend his grandfather’s funeral sans Markle, who was advised not to travel since she was seven months pregnant with their daughter Lilibet at the time.
“The Duke of Sussex is planning to attend. The Duchess of Sussex has been advised by her physician not to travel. So the duke will be attending,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said at a briefing at the time.
An unnamed source close to the couple told Harper’s Bazaar at the time that the Duchess of Sussex made “every effort” to join Prince Harry on his trip to the U.K. for Prince Philip’s funeral at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. However, her doctor did not give her medical clearance as she was already in her third trimester of pregnancy, the source added.
Prince Harry and Markle heeded their doctor’s advice as the former “Suits” star suffered a miscarriage in July 2020. The pair, who are also parents to 3-year-old son Archie, welcomed their daughter Lilibet Diana on June 6, 2021.
Royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand previously claimed in their unauthorized biography of the Sussexes, “Finding Freedom,” that several unnamed members of the royal family were “understood to have been ‘quietly pleased'” that Markle missed Prince Philip’s funeral, the Independent reported.
The book cited unnamed royal insiders as saying that members of the Firm feared that Markle’s presence would create “a circus” or “a spectacle” following her and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired a month before Prince Philip’s death.
Prince Harry and Markle have maintained a close bond with the Queen and have nothing but kind words to say about Her Majesty.
“The Queen has always been wonderful to me,” Markle told Winfrey during their interview.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunited with Queen Elizabeth in England in April before the couple headed to the Netherlands for the 2022 Invictus Games.
“Both Meghan and I had tea with her. So it was really nice to catch up with her,” Prince Harry told Hoda Kotb on “Today” of their visit to his grandmother.
Prince Harry and Markle also reportedly introduced their daughter to the Queen when the family of four traveled to the U.K. in June for the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
“Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors” will hit bookshelves on July 21.
Photo: John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty Images
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