A royal butler has revealed new details about Queen Elizabeth’s discreet role in the feud between Meghan Markle and Princess Catherine, at a time when tensions between the two women threatened to overshadow the monarchy.

Queen Elizabeth II, according to former royal butler Grant Harrold, quietly intervened when disagreements arose between Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle, stepping in behind the scenes as their strained relationship risked drawing focus away from the institution itself.

Early on, the so-called “fab four” – the Prince and Princess of Wales, 43, and the Duke, 41, and Duchess of Sussex, 44 – appeared to embody unity and modern royalty after Harry introduced Meghan to the family in 2016. Public moments on the Buckingham Palace balcony showed them laughing together and seemingly at ease in each other’s company. But, as is often the case, the reality behind palace walls was more complicated than those images suggested.

Royal tensions behind the scenes

The once warm dynamic between Catherine and Meghan is understood to have cooled significantly in the months following Prince Harry’s engagement to the former Suits star in 2017.

Speaking to RadarOnline on Wednesday, Harrold explained that the late Queen was renowned for her “deep commitment to maintaining unity within the Royal Family”. He said that if Elizabeth sensed friction between Kate and Meghan, she would have “quietly stepped in to try and smooth things over”.

“Her focus was always on preserving a strong and united front, especially among the younger generation of royals,” Harrold said.

Harrold, who worked for Queen Elizabeth and then Prince Charles from 2004 to 2011, added that she “would have done everything in her power to make sure family disagreements never overshadowed duty.” As Harry and Meghan’s romance progressed, he suggested that shifting dynamics behind the scenes would not have gone unnoticed by the monarch, who likely recognised “signs of strain and done what she could to resolve it.”

Meghan’s account of the fallout

Meghan herself first publicly addressed reports of tension with Kate during her and Harry’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

In the lead-up to the couple’s royal wedding, several British newspapers had reported that Meghan made Catherine cry over a disagreement about Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress. Meghan, however, claimed the opposite had happened.

“And I don’t say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something, but she owned it and she apologised and she brought me flowers and a note apologising, and she did what I would do if I knew that I’d hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it,” Meghan told the talk show host.

Harry, in his memoir Spare, wrote he found Meghan “sobbing on the floor” after the exchange, and Kate later apologised with flowers and a card.

He also detailed other instances of friction, such as an earlier comment from Meghan about Kate having “baby brain” after she gave birth.

After Harry and Meghan stepped away from royal life in 2020, tensions between the royal wives remained strained, much like the relationship between warring brothers William and Harry.

Meghan and Catherine last saw each other at Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022, which marked the Duchess’s last known visit to the UK.