Channel 5 documentary Harry & Meghan: The Wedding That Split Two Families included discussion about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nuptials seven years ago and the build-up
23:05, 23 Aug 2025Updated 23:05, 23 Aug 2025
There’s said to have been a confrontation between Prince William and Prince Harry over Meghan Markle in the lead-up to the couple’s wedding. The eldest brother reportedly brought up claims that his future sister-in-law was ‘difficult’ to staff.
Meghan, now 44, married Prince Harry, now 40, in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2018, with his family among the guests in attendance. The couple, who later stepped back from their royal duties, are said to have been involved in tension behind-the-scenes amid preparations for their nuptials.
They have faced rumours of a rift with his brother Prince William, 43, and sister-in-law Princess Kate, 43, in recent years. It’s also been claimed that former actor Meghan was considered “difficult” to work with by aides at the time.
The apparent tension around their nuptials was the subject of the Channel 5 documentary Harry & Meghan: The Wedding That Split Two Families, which aired tonight. It included ‘reenactments’ and interviews with commentators.
Meghan Markle (left) and Prince Harry (right) got married seven years ago(Image: Getty Images)
At one point, claims that Meghan was deemed ‘difficult’ were discussed. Prince Harry and Meghan are said to have shared a team with Prince William and Princess Kate, which reportedly added to tensions ahead of the wedding. It was suggested that a “number” of staff ended up leaving.
The Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths said: “It’s really important to the Royal Family not to act like you’re some lofty Hollywood celebrity and to be very kind to your staff. Y’know these are the people that you trust around you.”
The documentary alleged that Prince William ended up confronting his younger brother over the situation. The narrator told viewers: “With disgruntled employees becoming more vocal, William confronts his brother.”
Charlotte suggested that he wasn’t a “peacemaker” amid the apparent tensions at the time. She said: “William didn’t play peacemaker, actually. William pointed this out to Harry and said you’ve got to get this girl in line.”
There’s long been rumours of tension behind the scenes between the couple and Prince William (left) and Princess Kate (right)(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
As reported at the time, ahead of their interview with Oprah Winfrey, a spokesperson for Meghan and Prince Harry told news outlets: “Let’s just call this what it is – a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation. We are disappointed to see this defamatory portrayal of The Duchess of Sussex given credibility by a media outlet.
“It’s no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years.”
Elsewhere in the statement, the spokesperson said: “The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma. She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”
Harry & Meghan: The Wedding That Split Two Families is available through Channel 5 on demand.
Meghan Markle is ‘difficult to work with’ and ditches her friends when things don’t go her way, an expert has claimedCredit: Splash
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The Duchess of Sussex ‘dumped’ the royal family in a similar way to her friends, the expert addedCredit: Splash
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The real reason Edward Enninful and the Duchess fell out has been revealed, sources claimCredit: Getty
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Enninful was said to be ‘furious’ after the Duchess backed out of an issue in 2022Credit: Sussexroyal/Instagram
It comes after reports claimed Meghan dropped her former best pal Edward Enninful after a row over the cover of Vogue.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, and the former magazine editor were once thick as thieves who bonded over mint tea and “philosophising”.
The ex-Suits actress said the duo were “like-minded thinkers” after she helped edit an edition in 2019.
But insiders told the Mail on Sunday that the pair cut contact over Enninful’s plans to cover Meghan and Harry’s charity work in a feature.
Royal expert Hugo Vickers told The Sun: “None of this surprises me at all, because we see it the whole time when things don’t go her way. She just overreacts.
“Clearly in this case with Edward Enninful, she has made something of an enemy, because he then dropped her from something she would have liked to be a part of, and it seems to happen the whole time.
“She’s very demanding. She’s difficult to work with. She has her ideas of what she wants to do, and she doesn’t seem to want to listen to anybody else, and that’s when you get into a trouble.”
Mr Vickers also highlighted how many people are now removed from Meghan’s life, from ex-husbands to close pals.
Her shocking claims surrounding the Royal Family since quitting the UK in 2020, from her Oprah interview to Netflix documentary, have also seen her alienated from her in-laws.
Meghan’s got it all WRONG – She’s shown us the real her but we HATE it
And countless staff members have joined a long list of people who no longer wish to associate with the mum-of-two.
“There is a theme which runs through all this is that she’s always rejecting people, or indeed, falls out with,” said Mr Vickers.
“Her father for one, who was very good to her when she was growing up, her first husband just gets dumped, her Canadian chef lover in Canada, dumped as well.
“Jessica Mulroney, her great friend in Canada, dumped, the entire British Royal family, and apart from her mother, all her own family.”
He dubbed the reported fall out with Enninful a “normal theme” and added “everything she does seems to go wrong”.
Mr Vickers continued: “She should listen to somebody like Edward Enninful, he’s a very highly qualified editor, and he knows what he’s doing, running a very important magazine.
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Prince Harry has been feuding with his family since quitting the UK with Meg in 2020Credit: Getty
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Thomas Markle is now estranged from his daughterCredit: Channel 5 / Thomas Markle: My Story
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Trevor Engelson was Meghan Markle’s first husbandCredit: Getty – Contributor
“I would have thought it would have been well in her interest to keep in with him, instead of upsetting him.
“She doesn’t know better. Unfortunately, as has been proved time and time again.”
He added: “She is just so incredibly difficult, and that is the theme, and that is the narrative now, and I suspect that that will go on and probably get worse.”
Mr Vickers suggested part of the trouble stems from the fact everything “is always focused on her”.
He spotlighted the Duchess’ Mother’s Day post in which she praised herself and failed to mention her own mum.
“I really feel sorry for those children, and I wonder what sort of what they’re going to think when they grow up and realise how they’re being used in these things as well,” he added.
This comes after Meghan reportedly cut her plans to work with Enninful on a feature in 2022.
The former editor allegedly wanted to showcase the Duchess’ keynote speech at the One Young World Summit in Manchester in 2022.
However, he didn’t want to give them a front cover.
Conde Nast insiders claimed Meghan axed their arrangement.
A Conde Nast insider claimed: “The duchess and her team had high expectations and were expecting she might get a print cover or at least a digital cover out of it, but Enninful was not able to meet those expectations.
“He already had a magazine cover in the bag for that month.”
“The whole process became very difficult. Edward could only promise her a big showy feature inside the magazine and online – but she turned it down.”
After being told they wouldn’t make the cover, sources claim Meghan asked to be on the special digital cover which would be available with the print edition.
Her request was refused, by Enninful, because he didn’t think it would be “appropriate”.
The Duchess was so offended she walked away from the offer completely, leaving the former editor “furious”.
It is understood this was his breaking point and their friendship was fractured beyond repair.
Insiders also claim it hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Sussex household how much more involvement Enninful has with the Royal Family.
Enninful is now a trustee for The King’s Fund, King Charles‘s charity.
And, he hosted a glitzy New York event for The King’s Trust earlier this month – and Meghan was definitely not on the list sources claim.
Enniful was in “constant contact” with Meghan using WhatsApp as he watched the duchess’s chat with Oprah, the Daily Mail reported.
A source close told the paper: “There were around 15 people on the Zoom, all top Conde Nast people.
“They felt it was important from an editorial perspective that they got together to watch it.”
However, royal biographer Tom Bower previously claimed in his book Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War between the Windsors, that Meghan and Enninful feuded during the creation of Vogue’s September 2019 issue.
Staff were described as being left in “silent exasperation” at Meghan and her demands.
It claimed the duchess proposed poor ideas, and accused her of being difficult to approach with opposing suggestions.
Bower also wrote that Enninful and Meghan had a difference of opinion on how to market the edition – as the former actress wished to leak snippets online before its release, while the editor thought secrecy was best.
Meghan even asked if the magazine could hit the shelves in the US before the UK, according to the book, which ruffled feathers with head of communications, Sara Latham.
FORGET Game of Thrones, nobody understands the art of forming alliances better than Meghan Markle – but her latest friendship might just be her most fruitful yet.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend… and having been blacklisted by David and Victoria Beckham, she and Harry have now made their allegiances very clear, while also bolstering their own “cool” social standing in the process.
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Brooklyn and Nicola are hot property – with a combined Instagram following of over 19million between themCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Harry and Meghan have been upping their public appearances – and packing on the PDA – amid her reinvention as a lifestyle queen
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David and Victoria Beckham have reportedly been blindsided by the new Peltz-Beckham and Sussex allianceCredit: David Beckham/Instagram
After all, it’s no secret that Meghan is making every concerted effort right now to re-establish herself as a lifestyle guru and online influencer.
Since launching her lifestyle brand, As Ever, last month, she’s upped her output on social media in a bid to cement herself as the ultimate domestic goddess and yummy mummy.
Having the endorsement of the Beckham-Peltzes – who have a massive social media following between them and are hot property right now, thanks to all the whispers circulating about tensions with Brooklyn’s family – would only help her cause.
What’s more, having seen their friendships with the likes of George and Amal Clooney, Oprah Winfrey and Brooklyn’s parents, David and Victoria Beckham, fall flat, Meghan and Harry can use all the star power they can get right now.
As the Sun exclusively revealed this week, the Sussexes and the Peltz-Beckhams came together last week at a dinner at the Sussexes’ mansion in Montecito, California.
The VIP event, which included 18 other guests, had been planned for weeks – but its timing, just days after Brooklyn and Nicola skipped his dad David’s 50th birthday celebrations amid a very public fall-out, was significant.
According to insiders, the two couples “found a lot of common ground” – as Harry and Meghan lent an empathetic ear, and shared their own tales of battle with Harry’s family.
As far as they are concerned, they’ve both been treated unfairly, prompting their estrangements.
And in the aftermath, the two couples have potentially formed a powerful alliance.
This may be an unlikely quartet, but it might just be a friendship that pays dividends.
Prince Harry & Meghan’s secret mansion summit with Brooklyn Beckham & Nicola Peltz to share trauma of toxic family feuds
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Meghan – pictured starring in her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan – has relaunched herself as a domestic goddessCredit: Netflix
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Meghan’s been showing more snippets of her home life – including snaps with her and Harry’s kids, Archie, six, and Lilibet, three – in her bid to be the ultimate yummy mummyCredit: Instagram
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Having Gen Z stars Nicola and Brooklyn on side would potentially open her up to an even bigger audienceCredit: Instagram
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, brand and culture expert Nick Ede believes Meghan is well aware of the benefits that come from this new foursome.
“Meghan is a very strategic player,” he tells us. “She knows how to maximise her influence by associating herself with those who have more than her.
“This move is positioning her away from old Hollywood stars who have already established themselves, like Oprah and the Clooneys, and it’s bringing new blood into the Montecito establishment.”
He adds: “No one saw this friendship coming, but Meghan really looks like she’s creating a new ‘Fab Four’ with Harry, Brooklyn and Nicola.”
Fab Four
Let’s not forget, this isn’t the first time the Sussexes have attempted to form a solid quartet.
Since then the Sussexes haven’t held back in airing their grievances against the Waleses, most notably in Harry’s memoir Spare.
In it, the former senior royal alleged that his brother had physically attacked him amid their Megxit negotiations, and claimed that Kate had made Meghan cry before their wedding over a disagreement about Princess Charlotte’s flower girl dress.
These days the warring couples have reportedly cut all communication, and that ‘Fab Four’ alliance is splintered beyond repair.
‘Blacklisted’
Meanwhile, other A-list friendships have also fallen by the wayside.
Take George and Amal Clooney, who were proudly in attendance at Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding, and hosted them at their mansion in Lake Como soon after.
The two couples don’t seem to have spoken for years, and the Clooneys have made their indifference to the Sussexes known by snubbing them from several high-profile events they’ve hosted.
Likewise, fellow wedding attendees David and Victoria Beckham have also blacklisted their former friends.
No one saw this friendship coming, but Meghan really looks like she’s creating a new ‘Fab Four’ with Harry, Brooklyn and Nicola
Nick EdeBrand and culture expert
As we’ve reported, the two couples were historically close, and Meghan even wore a Victoria Beckham dress in her first post-Megxit appearance as a mark of respect to her famous friend.
But – after the couple accused Victoria of selling stories about them to the press – the lines of communication went dead.
The Beckhams duly switched their own allegiances to the royals, and have since been getting closer than ever to Harry’s estranged father and brother.
So, having been declared personae non gratae by the Beckhams, it seems as if all bets are off.
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George and Amal Clooney famously attended the Sussexes’ wedding in 2018Credit: Getty
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David and Victoria were also in attendance at St George’s Chapel in Windsor to watch the nuptialsCredit: Getty
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Shortly before they got married, Harry and Meghan banded together with Prince William and Kate Middleton to launch The Royal Foundation – and were duly dubbed the ‘Fab Four’Credit: PA:Press Association/PA Images
Raft of opportunities
With relations between David and Victoria and their eldest son Brooklyn reportedly at an all-time low, this Montecito dinner has made a very public statement indeed.
Yet this isn’t simply a case of trying to get back at the Beckhams.
For all intents and purposes, Brooklyn and Nicola’s friendship could hold the key to a raft of opportunities for Harry and Meghan at this critical juncture in their own lives.
To that end, she’s been sending out her homemade jams, and other products including shortbread biscuits and herbal teas, to friends including Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen, in the hope that they might plug them on their Instagram pages.
But so far, her connections haven’t quite paid off when it comes to promoting her business.
Indeed, one of the biggest complaints when it came to her Netflix series was that, while we know she’s enjoyed friendships with the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams in the past, she didn’t deliver on serving up A-list cameos on camera.
Her biggest signing was Mindy Kaling, but even that interaction seemed awkward and not representative of a genuine friendship.
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Mindy Kaling appeared on the Netflix series With Love, MeghanCredit: Netflix
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Before renaming her brand As Ever, Meghan sent her American Riviera Orchard jam to famous friends, including Kris Jenner, in the hope that they’d plug the product onlineCredit: Instagram
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Serena Williams – pictured with husband Alexis Ohanian – was another famous friend who turned up to the Sussexes’ wedding, but seems to have distanced herself from the couple in recent timesCredit: AP:Associated Press
So, having Brooklyn, 26, and Nicola , 30 – who both have a massive social media standing – on side could be highly advantageous to Meghan’s brand and online popularity.
While Brooklyn, in particular, may be the butt of several jokes when it comes to his career as an online “chef”, there’s no denying that his fans love watching him cook up a storm on his social media.
The nepo baby now has a whopping 16.3million followers on his Instagram account – which eclipses Meghan’s following of 2.9million.
With that kind of popularity, Brooklyn’s endorsement of Meghan’s jam, and her brand in general, would be a big win for As Ever.
It’s time to build on her credibility and build an audience who are authentic and buy into her brand.
Nick Ede
What’s more, Brooklyn and Nicola bring a hip and fresh factor to this new dynamic.
The Clooneys and the Beckhams may be established and dynastic couples, but the Peltz-Beckhams represent the next gen of showbiz influencers.
This potential leverage among younger followers will not have escaped Meghan’s attention.
It’s worth noting that the Duchess of Sussex has already made attempts to broaden her showbiz squad.
Earlier this year, she gave an online shoutout to Billie Eilish, the ultimate Gen Z cool girl, after the latter helped her with a charitable endeavour.
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Harry and Meghan packed on the PDA at a recent Beyonce concert
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Having distanced themselves from the Sussexes, the Beckhams have since been ingratiating themselves with the Royal Family – even attending events at Buckingham PalaceCredit: PA
She and Harry also recently stepped out at Beyonce’s LA concert – packing on the PDA and later thanking the singer online for a very fun “date night”.
This new Meghan is one who wants to be perceived as laid back, personable and fun – countering claims made in the past year that she’s a “bully” and difficult to work with.
Having the endorsement of a young, cool couple like Brooklyn and Nicola at this time could be beneficial – and Meghan knows it.
Meanwhile for Harry, having Brooklyn on side, who – as a Brit abroad – represents a piece of home at a time when he remains largely estranged from his family, might just be the source of comfort he needs.
Building a business should be Meghan’s priority
Nick Ede
But, as Nick tells us, she shouldn’t rely on her A-list friendships to guarantee her brand’s future.
She may be hoping to garner attention, but – ultimately – consumers want high quality products, regardless of who’s endorsing them.
“Whether this is a good move for Meghan is something we will have to wait and see,” Nick says. “The As Ever brand is still in its early days, and so is her TV career as a lifestyle expert.
“It’s time to build on her credibility and build an audience who are authentic and buy into her brand.
“Building a business should be her priority – this relationship may just serve as a distraction, rather than a positive step for both parties.”
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Brooklyn, then 13, last met Prince Harry in 2011 at the Sun Military Awards, alongside his dad DavidCredit: Darren Fletcher – The Sun
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Kate Middleton recently made her own allegiances known in a Victoria Beckham suitCredit: Getty
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While David is close to Prince William, their estranged family members – Brooklyn Beckham and Prince Harry – are hanging out in LACredit: PA
MEGHAN Markle and a beanie-clad Prince Harry have boasted about attending a hugely famous singer-songwriter’s gig – and even left with a signed book.
The pair, which included a beanie-wearing Harry, even took a photograph with the singer.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended a huge concertCredit: Instagram/@Meghan
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Prince Harry got his own shot with James TaylorCredit: Instagram/@Meghan
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Meghan even received a signed book from the singerCredit: Instagram/@Meghan
The actress was pictured with music icon James Taylor – the hitmaker behind tracks including You’ve Got a Friend and Fire and Rain.
Meghan posted a picture with the singer which she captioned: “in my concert era. Thanks James!”
She included a snap of herself and Harry with James, alongside the singer’s brother Henry Taylor.
Meghan also posted a picture of the Prince and the singer standing together.
Harry wore a simple grey beanie, covering up his famous red hair, and an understated grey jacket.
In another picture, Meghan even revealed that she was given a signed book from the famous songster.
Entitled Sweet Baby James – which is also the title of one of the singer’s hit albums – the book contains illustrated pop-up designs and sells for $25.
James is currently on tour in the United States with his special guest Tiny Habits.
Meghan posted a picture from the crowd at his concert in Santa Barbara, California, on May 14 – one of the earliest dates on the tour.
The Sussexes’ dinner with Brooklyn and his wife took place at their home in Montecito – where they live with Archie and Lilibet.
The home is valued at £12 million and has nine-bedrooms, as well as a whimsical koi fish pond.
Harry and Meghan’s house also has a lavish swimming pool and a tennis court, alongside a private playground for their children.
Home Improvement expert Justin Nielsen, from Wolf River Electric, estimates that the property will need around 10 to 15 staff members to keep it in tip top condition.
He added: “Given the array of features, including a swimming pool, tennis court, koi pond, children’s playhouse, and chicken coop, the annual upkeep costs could easily reach between £150,000 and £250,000.
“This estimate accounts for landscaping, utilities, specialised care for the koi fish, and general maintenance.”
