London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026

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
Lord Mandelson Condemns Arrest as Driven by ‘Baseless Suggestion’ He Would Flee Abroad
Former UK Ambassador Released on Bail Following Arrest in Epstein-Linked Investigation
UK Parliament Orders Release of Former Prince Andrew’s Government Vetting Files
Reddit Fined £14 Million by UK Regulator Over Failures in Age Verification Controls
UK Moves to Tighten Regulation of Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video Under New Media Rules
British Woman Who Reported Rape in Hong Kong Faces Possible Prosecution
'Christianity is the religion that has made this country great.'
Man Receives Parking Ticket 38 Years After Offense: ‘City Officials Said It’s Legitimate’
Woman Receives Gift Card for Christmas – Discovers It Is ‘Worth’ 63,000,000,000,000,000 Pounds
UK Sanctions New Zealand Insurer Maritime Mutual Following Allegations Over Russian Oil Cover
Reform MP Danny Kruger Condemns UK’s ‘Unregulated Sexual Economy’ in Call for Tougher Controls
The Show Must Go On: Prince William and Kate Middleton Shine at the BAFTAs Amid Andrew’s Arrest
UK Sanctions Russian ‘Illicit Oil Traders’ After Email Blunder Exposes Sanctions Evasion Network
Russia Amplifies Baseless Claims That UK and France Plan to Arm Ukraine with Nuclear Weapons
UK Imposes Sanctions on Two Georgian Television Channels Over Alleged Russian Disinformation
United States National Parks See Noticeable Drop in Visitors from Canada, U.K. and Australia
UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand Escalate Sanctions on Russia as Ukraine War Marks Four Years
I Gave Andrew a Nude Massage Inside Buckingham Palace
UK Economy Faces Acute Strain as Trump’s Global Tariff Reshapes Trade Landscape
UK Signals Retaliation Is Possible as New US Tariff Policy Threatens Trade Stability
British Police Arrest Former Ambassador Peter Mandelson in Epstein-Related Misconduct Probe
Australia Officially Supports Proposal to Remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from Royal Succession
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan remains silent on ISIS brides' resettlement plans in Melbourne
Former UK Ambassador Peter Mandelson Arrested in Connection with Jeffrey Epstein
Jacob Rees Mogg afraid to talk about Peter Mandelson arrest on “suspicion of misconduct in a public office” (Pedophilia, corruption, etc.)
United Nations Calls for Global Action Against Disinformation and Hate Speech Online
Tucker Carlson warns of an inevitable clash in Western societies over mass migration
President Trump warns countries against abandoning recent trade deals with the US
Diverging Polls Show Mixed Signals on UK Economic Revival as Confidence Remains Fragile
Spotify Expands AI-Driven ‘Prompted Playlists’ Feature to the United Kingdom and Other Markets
Greens and Reform UK Surge in Manchester By-Election, Threatening Labour’s Historic Stronghold
UK Businesses Push for Closer European Trade Links Amid Renewed US Tariff Uncertainty
Deloitte Global Overhaul Sparks Leadership Contest in the United Kingdom
University of Kentucky and Microsoft to Showcase Campus-Wide AI Innovation
UK Food System Faces Acute Vulnerability to Shocks, Experts Warn
Reform UK’s Proposed ICE-Style Deportation Scheme Triggers Sharp Backlash
U.S. Global Tariff Push Leaves Britain, Australia and Others Facing Higher Costs and Trade Strain
UK Police Officers Guarded 2010 Epstein Dinner Attended by Prince Andrew, Reports Say
US Trade Representative Affirms Commitment to Existing Tariff Agreements with UK and Other Partners
Activists at the Louvre hung a framed Reuters photograph of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor slumped in the back of a car leaving a police station on the day of his arrest
The royal biographer said that he expected the police to 'look at the money trail' - including Sarah Ferguson borrowing money from Epstein
A Protestor screams in NYC: “Bill Gates is on the Epstein’s List…”
FBI and Secret Service Hold Press Conference After Shooting Incident at Mar-a-Lago
Mark Zuckerberg Testifies in Trial Over Social Media's Impact on Children's Mental Health
Maggie Oliver exposes Keir Starmer using letters to close child rapists investigations
Kouri Richie's wrote a children’s book to help her sons grieve the death of their father. Now she’ll stand trial for his murder
New York Braces for Major Snowstorm With Up to 18 Inches Forecast and Blizzard Warnings Issued
Mexican Military Kills CJNG Leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes as Violence Erupts Across Jalisco
Metropolitan Police Deploys Palantir-Powered AI to Flag Potential Officer Misconduct
UK Parliament Rebukes Police Over Ban on Israeli Football Fans
×