A former butler to the Royal Family has explained the late Queen Elizabeth II wanted to preserve unity among the Firm, particularly when it came to Princess Kate and Meghan Markle. According to Prince Harry's bombshell memoir, Spare, it was not always rosy behind the scenes between his wife and the Royal Family members.

Grant Harrold, speaking on behalf of Slingo, said: "The late Queen was known for her deep commitment to maintaining unity within the Royal Family. If she sensed any tension, particularly between Kate and Meghan, she would have quietly stepped in to try and smooth things over."

He added: "Her focus was always on preserving a strong and united front, especially among the younger generation of royals."

Mr Harrold also added: "As Prince Harry and Meghan's relationship grew more serious, it’s possible that dynamics behind the scenes began to shift. The Queen would have taken note of any signs of strain.

"If there was even a hint of things not being right, she would have done what she could to resolve it."

Reports of a heated interaction before Meghan and Harry’s wedding emerged in 2018, claiming that Meghan left Kate in tears over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress.

Nearly three years later, Meghan claimed "the reverse of that happened," during her public interview with Oprah Winfrey, although Meghan claimed Princess Kate ultimately "apologised".

Meghan told Oprah: "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."

It is further claimed Harry and Meghan upset Queen Elizabeth II in the run up to their royal wedding. Journalist Sally Bedell Smith painted an extraordinary picture of the turmoil behind the scenes on her Substack channel 'Royals Extra', based on her conversations with Her Majesty's cousin - Lady Elizabeth Anson.

The late Queen was reportedly saddened when "Meghan wouldn't tell her" anything about her wedding dress, Sally wrote, adding that Harry was "rude to her for ten minutes" during a meeting.

According to Liza, the late Queen was dismayed that Harry had asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the wedding service in St. George’s Chapel without first requesting permission from the Dean of Windsor.

"Harry seems to think the Queen can do what she wants, but she can’t," said Liza. She added: "On the religious side, it is the Dean of Windsor’s jurisdiction."

She explained in detail: "I was shocked when the Queen told me this, how she was so saddened. I had no idea about the conversation, that he was rude to her for ten minutes."