Prince Philip reportedly had some wild advice for Prince Harry after his proposal to Meghan Markle.
“One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them,” the late Philip allegedly told his grandson, according to royal historian Andrew Lownie’s book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which was released earlier this year.
Philip’s warning to Harry, 41, has been reported for years, but the royal family has not publicly commented. (Us Weekly has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.)
Harry and Meghan, 44, kicked off their whirlwind romance in 2016. They announced their engagement the following year and hosted their royal wedding in 2018.
Where Harry and Meghan Stand With Each Member of the Royal Family
A separate book, published earlier this year by former royal butler Grant Harrold, revealed another off-color comment from Philip following Harry and Meghan’s ceremony.
“Once all the formalities were over, we watched as the happy couple, and then the other members of the Royal Family, filed out of the chapel,” Harrold wrote in The Royal Butler, which was released in August. “When Prince Philip came out, he turned to the Queen and said, ‘Thank f*** that’s over.’”
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward previously told Us Weekly exclusively that there was no bad blood between Philip and Meghan. In fact, Seward claimed Phillip was “very welcoming” toward the former Suits star.
“She was a newcomer — and a very different newcomer,” Seward shared in 2021. “At the time of Meghan and Harry’s romance, he wasn’t around nearly as much because he’d retired. He didn’t see very much of Meghan at all [and] he didn’t really have a chance to form a relationship with her.”
Harry and Meghan’s wedding took place six weeks after Philip had hip surgery, but he still attended the nuptials.
“[It] is a really good example of him being absolutely determined that whatever happened, he was gonna walk down that aisle at the wedding and take his seat,” Seward explained.
Where Harry and Meghan Stand With Each Member of the Royal Family
Philip died at age 99 in 2021, after Harry and Meghan walked away from their duties as senior working royals and relocated to America.
Harry recalled returning to the U.K. for his grandfather’s memorial in his 2023 memoir, Spare. The Duke of Sussex detailed a “secret meeting” with his father, King Charles III, and brother Prince William after Philip’s funeral, during which they discussed Harry’s decision to step away from the family.
“I tried to explain my side of things. I wasn’t at my best. For starters. I was still nervous, fighting to keep my emotions in check, while also striving to be succinct and precise,” Harry wrote in the book, sharing that the meeting took place at Frogmore Gardens. “More, I’d vowed not to let this encounter devolve into another argument. But I quickly discovered that it wasn’t up to me.”
Harry and William started “getting heated” during the meeting, and at that point, Charles apparently begged his sons not to “make my final years a misery.”
In the years since the book’s release, Harry has started to reconcile with his family. During a trip to the U.K. in September, Harry met up with Charles for an emotional reunion — their first in nearly two years.
“They were catching up personally about the children and what has been going on with Charles and his health,” a source told Us exclusively at the time. “There were hugs and tears at the meeting.”
