How Prince Harry Risked Angering Queen Elizabeth In Favor Of Meghan Markle

Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry — Meghan Markle And Queen Elizabeth Visit Cheshire Together On First Joint Trip Without Prince Harry Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince Harry took the risk of angering his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, when he made a tough call three years ago. At that time, the Duke of Sussex opted to fly to Canada to meet with Meghan Markle instead of going back to London after his tour of the Caribbean.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the palace urged Prince Harry to immediately return to London after his trip to the Caribbean because he had a series of engagements lined up. But Prince Harry still decided to cancel his flight back home to be with his then girlfriend.

“The Prince’s decision to visit Miss Markle, whom he had not seen for three weeks, defied the official Royal Household policy that members of the Royal Family should not combine personal trips with official business,” the report read. “In 2004, after the Duke of York had been criticized for combining official business with golfing breaks, the Royal Household assured the National Audit Office that such behavior would stop.”

Prince Harry’s sudden trip to Toronto was also criticized by the public even though he paid for his ticket using his own money. This was because the cost of diverting his protection officers from London to Canada was shouldered by taxpayers.

Recently, Prince Harry and Meghan angered the public after they decided to fly to Ibiza for their vacation. It has been reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex rode a private jet to and from their destination.

Labor MP Teresa Pearce slammed Prince Harry and Meghan for not leading by example. While speaking with The Sun, Pearce said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex committed an anomaly considering their position on climate change.

“It’s up to all of us to cut our carbon emissions, and the number of flights we take a year,” she said. “That is really important and someone as high profile as that should lead by example,” she added.

But Elton John came to the royal couple’s defense when he said that he was the one who lent Prince Harry and Meghan his private jet. The royal couple stayed at the singer’s private home in Nice for the second leg of their vacation.