London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Palace staff nicknamed Prince Harry 'the hostage', insiders claim

Palace staff nicknamed Prince Harry 'the hostage', insiders claim

Prince Harry was nicknamed ‘the hostage’ by Buckingham Palace staff in the run-up to their wedding, it has been reported.

A wave of claims about Meghan’s behaviour have emerged in recent days, which representatives of the Sussexes argue are part of an attempt to discredit her ahead of their interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Some involve alleged incidents dating as far back as the planning stages of their 2018 wedding, with insiders suggesting Megan was ‘constantly looking for reasons to say she had been deprived’ despite having all her demands met.

Many of the incidents have been widely reported in the years since, but Harry is now said to have attracted pity from staff at the time.

According to the Daily Telegraph, insiders revealed he was referred to as Meghan’s ‘hostage’.

One claimed: ‘They insisted that they had the same inflation-adjusted budget for the wedding as William and Kate – she got the choir she wanted, the dress, the carriage procession, the tiara – she got everything she wanted but it still wasn’t enough.

A former royal aide is said to have confirmed allegations that Harry furiously dressed down a senior member of the Queen’s entourage who resisted some of Meghan’s demands during planning for their 2018 wedding.

The incident, dubbed ‘Tiaragate’, was sparked when the monarch’s personal dresser Angela Kelly temporarily resisted handing over Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara at short notice for an unscheduled hair appointment.

The couple say the claims are part of a smear campaign


This allegedly prompted Harry to shout: ‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.’

Buckingham Palace has vowed to investigate claims that the Duchess of Sussex left humiliated staff ‘in tears’ during her brief time as a working royal.

Representatives of the Sussexes have previously claimed the pair are victims of a deliberate smear campaign based on misleading information.

A spokesperson for the pair said they have ‘nothing further to say on these ridiculous allegations’.

The couple are due to appear in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey


The Oprah interview will air in the US at 1am UK time on Monday morning, before being shown by ITV at 9pm that evening.

Teasers released so far show the 67-year-old American TV host suggesting Meghan’s time in the UK was ‘almost unsurvivable’, as she faced tensions within the palace and a war with the British press.

The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William have all reportedly agreed to ‘reserve judgement’ until they have seen the interview in full.

Buckingham Palace has not officially commented on the interview’s content and said it will decide whether to issue a statement after it airs.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×