Queen ‘hit back’ at Harry, Meghan for ‘cashing in’ on royal link

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had reportedly prompted Queen Elizabeth II to put her foot down when the couple continued to take veiled jibes at the Royal Family.

Royal author Robert Lacey wrote in his book Battle of Brothers that the Sussexes tried to sell merchandise under their own royal trademark ‘Sussex Royal’.

“Once again Harry had totally failed to consult the Queen about a major initiative affecting his royal work and image — and the image of the crown as a whole. The family finally hit back.

"Elizabeth II had always had a soft spot for Harry, and she had been delighted by the arrival of Meghan, whose personal energies seemed to complement her grandson’s so well,” he added.

"As Head of the Commonwealth and reigning over an ever more multicultural society in Britain, the Queen had especially welcomed the exciting new dimension that a mixed-race recruit brought to the Windsor identity — and as we shall see later in this series, she herself had spotted when things were going wrong, and had helped devise a strategy she firmly hoped would make things easier for the couple.

"But there were some matters on which Elizabeth II would not compromise — and chief among them was the authority of the crown,” the author continued.

He detailed: “By not disclosing their plans to market merchandise under their own royal trademark, Harry and Meghan had trespassed dangerously on that authority. To commercialise the crown required the crown’s consent — and the Sussexes had not sought that."