For the late Queen’s generation, teatime was sacrosanct: a pause in the day to reflect and refresh. For the monarch herself, it was also a cherished private time in a life devoted to public service.
During Covid lockdowns, Elizabeth II particularly enjoyed her afternoon ritual. Prince Philip had left his retreat in Norfolk to base himself at Windsor Castle, where – much to her delight – he joined her most days for tea.
If there was one time any member of the Royal Family could almost be guaranteed to know what the Queen was doing, it was 5pm. So eyebrows were raised when Prince Harry rang her one day while she was having her cup of tea.
The Queen was not amused. Indeed, she was clearly irritated and her grandson was not put through.
She may have suspected what he wanted to discuss. Before Harry had left Britain in 2020, the Queen and Prince Charles had arranged to cover security costs for him and his son Archie for a whole year.
In addition, Harry’s father had offered to assist with household bills and living expenses while the Sussexes settled into their new lives – first in Canada and then in California.
But was that enough? Harry seemed to be finding the shift from being a working royal rather harder than he’d expected.
Sure enough, he called his grandmother back the following day – though this time not during the sacred hour. And this time she took his call.
The late Queen was peeved when her grandson interrupted her regular teatime schedule to discuss financial matters
After hanging up, she sighed and said in front of her staff: ‘More money.’
Even the Queen, it seemed, was growing weary of Harry’s demands.
Charles – then Prince of Wales – had initially thought Meghan Markle was good for Harry and looked forward to her joining the Royal Family. She pressed all the right buttons, said the right things. He liked her, as did Camilla.
But by the time the couple announced their engagement, his enthusiasm appeared to have waned. When staff offered their congratulations, his response was notably restrained.
And the Queen? To a large degree, she kept her own counsel when it came to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, intervening only when she felt it necessary.
One matter that did anger her, though, was Meghan’s taste for expensive designer clothes.
She’d looked stunning when, nine months after the royal wedding, she appeared in a custom-made Christian Dior gown during a reception in February 2019 at the British ambassador’s residence in Rabat, Morocco. However, the cost of her wardrobe for the Sussexes’ official tour of Morocco was causing comment back home.
Certainly, the estimated £60,000 price tag for the Dior dress drew the Queen’s ire when she read about it in the press. She later let Meghan know that such an expensive outfit was an ill-judged choice.
Meghan’s £60,000 Dior dress she wore during a visit to Morocco left the Queen less than impressed
William felt totally betrayed by Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021
When Harry returned, he told his father that he and his wife wanted a new, semi-detached setup: half-in, half-out of the Royal Family. They wanted to be able to make their own money, too, effectively cashing in on their royal status.
Presumptuously, they assumed that given their apparent popularity, the Queen would back them. She did not. In fact, when the couple issued a statement about their plans – without first seeking her approval – she was furious. The Sandringham summit in January 2020 marked a turning point for the British monarchy.
In the Long Library, under tight security the Queen joined Harry, Charles, William, and their private secretaries, to confront the fallout of the Sussexes’ decision to live in North America yet also be part-time working royals.
Prince Philip, once a mentor to Harry, was so angered by what he saw as a threat to the family’s cohesion that he stayed away. The Queen held firm. As far as she was concerned, Harry’s idea of splitting time between North America and his royal obligations clashed with the monarchy’s need for unity and dignity. They were either in or out, she ruled.
Discussions were emotional. Harry was forced to concede far more ground than he anticipated, including the loss of his patronages and military titles, in exchange for ‘freedom’.
Privately, Queen Elizabeth described Harry’s behaviour as ‘quite mad’. She made it clear to those close to her that she felt let down by the Sussexes’ departure, which she saw as short-sighted and a missed opportunity.
The Queen had warmly welcomed Meghan, viewing her dual heritage, beauty and communication skills as assets to the family. When everything fell apart, she publicly wished the couple well.
As time went on, however, she tired of all their dramatics, and ordered that Harry’s phone calls be redirected to his father.
Unfortunately for Harry, Prince Charles had also grown tired of his errant son’s rants. After Harry swore at him over the phone one day and demanded funds, he stopped taking his calls. ‘I’m not a bank,’ Charles told his inner circle.
Long-serving staff, who knew Harry well, were left in the awkward position of having to make polite excuses when his father wouldn’t come to the phone.
The Sussexes’ tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in March 2021, and was replete with accusations of racism, family rifts and mental health struggles that painted a bleak picture of royal life. The timing was excruciating, as Prince Philip, then aged 99, was in hospital for a heart procedure.
Harry also claimed: ‘I was trapped, but I didn’t know I was trapped. My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave.’
William felt totally betrayed. He insisted to friends there was no way he felt trapped, and licensed them to talk to the media. He also famously declared: ‘We are very much not a racist family.’
The two brothers spoke on the phone – and days later, CBS TV host Gayle King revealed that their conversation was ‘not productive’. The leak felt like yet another betrayal.
For the Queen, in the twilight of her reign, the Oprah interview was a bitter pill to swallow. She authorised the release of a statement about the racism claims, famously saying: ‘Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.’
Just over a week after the Oprah interview, Prince Philip was released from hospital. He was lethargic, sluggish and didn’t want to leave his room, which worried the Queen. She sent for his close companion Penny, the Countess Mountbatten, hoping her presence would help him regain his zest for life – and he briefly rallied.
In his final conversation with Philip on April 8, 2021, just hours before his death, Charles tried to discuss arrangements for his father’s upcoming 100th birthday. Raising his voice – as Philip was now nearly deaf – he said: ‘We’re talking about your birthday, and whether there’s going to be a reception.’
Philip shot back: ‘Well, I’ve got to be alive for it, haven’t I?’
Charles laughed, ‘I knew you’d say that!’
Prince Philip – who abhorred fuss – died the following day in a single bed that had been placed in his large bathroom. The Queen was by his side.
During discussions about his funeral, his heartbroken widow made it clear that Covid restrictions or not, she wanted Countess Mountbatten to be one of the few mourners inside St George’s Chapel. It was a quiet nod to Philip and Penny’s years of friendship, trust and loyalty. Her presence said more than words.
Harry was there, too, and walked alongside William and Catherine as he left the service. His grandfather would have approved. Moments later, however, at a fraught meeting, tension between the brothers led Charles to plead: ‘Please, boys, do not make my final years a misery.’
For the Queen, Philip’s death was more than a personal loss – it left her without her most trusted ally in managing staff, courtiers and the family.
Once, when she was keen to fly to Balmoral to feed her corgis, who’d already been sent ahead, she was told she had to stick to a fixed airtime slot. At that point, she snapped: ‘Tell them I want a different time slot. I am the Queen, after all.’
It was an uncharacteristic rejoinder, but by then she may well have felt there was plenty to feel snappish about. (And, of course, she got her way: the dogs were fed and had their walk with her at Balmoral at the correct time.)
Barely two months after Philip’s death, Meghan gave birth to a daughter whom the couple named Lilibet, honouring the Queen’s childhood nickname.
Some saw this as a peace offering, but controversy erupted when the BBC reported the Queen hadn’t been consulted.
Harry insisted he had her blessing, but Buckingham Palace remained silent.
The Sussexes’ lawyers called the BBC report ‘false and defamatory’ and threatened legal action – yet no lawsuit followed.
A Palace source has a different version of events, which is that the Queen first learned of Lilibet’s name from the morning press, and was so incensed at the affront that she threw the paper to the floor, startling her staff. Later, during one of the Sussexes’ final UK visits before her death, they skipped a planned tea – that daily ritual so precious to the Queen. What’s more, they skipped it without giving her notice.
She had requested a special cake. By 5.15pm, with no word, she told staff to clear everything away.
After the loss of her husband, the Queen spent nearly all her time at Windsor Castle, where she had few visitors. Her days were quiet, her health was rapidly declining and she was often lonely.
Among the few who saw her regularly were ex-prince Andrew, his former wife Sarah and their daughters.
Charles would stay overnight when hosting investitures, and occasionally dined with his mother. And Prince William? He offered her some company.
As he was living nearby at Adelaide Cottage, the Queen also often spotted him and his family in the park below her castle window.
Although she loved William and saw much to admire, she told insiders that she feared he might become a ‘celebrity monarch’ rather than a dedicated one.
His rigidity, according to a royal source, occasionally frustrated her. A case in point was when the Queen asked him to stand in for her at the official opening of Thames Hospice’s new 29-bed facility by Bray Lake, Berkshire, near Windsor.
She had a particular connection with it through a retiring staff member who had looked after the budgerigars at the Royal Aviary, and she didn’t want to let anyone down. But on the day of the ceremony, July 15, 2022, she was feeling particularly frail.
William’s schedule might well have accommodated this last-minute duty, but he cried off, citing fatherly duties. This left his grandmother not only disappointed but irritated. She is said to have scoffed: ‘Isn’t that what nannies and policemen are for?’
Ever the stalwart, the ailing Queen asked Princess Anne to accompany her and went anyway. The 45-minute engagement – during which she spent some time with a woman expected to die within 48 hours – was the last she ever carried out in England.
Later that month, Queen Elizabeth headed to her beloved Scotland, knowing full well that this would be her last visit. To begin with, she found refuge in Craigowan Lodge, where she satisfied her longing for stillness and peace – and made sure she said a few final goodbyes.
One morning, she seemed uncharacteristically vexed. Time was running out, it seemed, for everything she wished to accomplish before it was too late. That morning, what she urgently wanted was for staff to summon grocer George Strachan, whose family had faithfully served the Royal Family at Balmoral for generations.
Breaking her strict rule of no breakfast guests outside family, she made herself available. She simply wanted to say goodbye: a quiet gesture of loyalty and grace.
On August 9, the Queen left Craigowan Lodge and formally arrived at Balmoral Castle for her final summer stay. On September 6 she met Boris Johnson and Liz Truss there, but her health declined sharply two days later and she died at 3.10pm on September 8.
Exactly three months later, while the Royal Family were still very much in mourning, the couple’s Netflix series, titled Harry & Meghan, premiered across the world.
The documentary shared private moments, including Harry receiving a text from William after the Oprah interview. Harry also accused his brother’s office of briefing against him and Meghan.
Meghan’s exaggerated re-enactment of her curtsy for the Queen, which she compared to a scene from Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament – an American dinner theatre – was widely criticised as mocking and disrespectful.
In January 2023, Harry’s memoir Spare – an instant bestseller that netted him a fortune – provided raw insights into his strained relationship with his brother and father, and targeted his father’s beloved wife Camilla, suggesting she’d leaked stories to the media. Inevitably, the book deepened the family rift, consolidating the family’s mistrust.
Harry’s relentless attacks on his family seemed unstoppable, until a sudden Palace announcement stopped him in his tracks: his father was suffering from cancer. This was soon followed by the news that Catherine, too, was ill with the disease.
Harry and Meghan sent their ‘well wishes’. Neither King Charles nor Catherine responded.
A palace aide scoffed at the Sussexes’s statement, calling it ‘cynical’. After all, just weeks before, the couple had been slinging mud at the Royal Family and portraying themselves as victims.
The King, who’d broken the news of his cancer to Harry in a phone call, had started treatment straight away. He was undergoing chemotherapy and felt a strong need for peace and quiet.
The last thing he needed was any drama – yet, without an invitation, Harry took it upon himself to fly over to see his father. The King had planned to spend the weekend at Sandringham in Norfolk, so he was irritated at being forced to wait in London until his son arrived. Their meeting was brief, around 30 minutes. Wary of letting Harry prolong it, Charles had pre-arranged for the meeting to be interrupted with a warning that it was time for a medical procedure. His son left soon afterwards.
In fact, there was no procedure scheduled, and never had been. Instead, the King flew straight to Sandringham on a helicopter that had been standing by for his delayed journey.
As for William, he stayed away. He had zero interest in spending time with his brother.
Now royal in name only, the Sussexes continue to make headlines, usually for the wrong reasons.
In March this year, Meghan’s With Love, Meghan series was slammed as a vanity project and a shameless grab for cash under the Sussex banner.
In May, a British judge rejected Harry’s demand for automatic, taxpayer-funded police protection for him and his family whenever they visit the UK. The ruling was blunt: he quit the job, so he doesn’t get the benefits.
From Montecito, California, Harry raged. ‘I’ve had it described to me … this is an old-fashioned, good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up. And that’s what it feels like,’ he told the BBC, adding that he blamed the Royal Household, and was ‘devastated’.
He also spoke of forgiveness – ‘I have forgiven my family for everything that’s happened’ – but made clear his own family would not return to the UK. The real stinger came when he added: ‘I don’t know how much longer my father has.’ This bombshell interview came on the eve of the VE Day 80th Anniversary commemorations, overshadowing a moment meant to honour veterans and unite the nation. Harry’s timing felt off.
It’s a mark of the King’s enduring love for his troubled son that he recently agreed to see him again for the first time in more than a year. Their meeting lasted 55 minutes. In a continuation of the late Queen’s tradition, they talked over relaxing cups of tea.
The chances are the King was very careful about what he said.
A wee dram at bedtime?
Tradition has always ranked highly at the royal residences, and change has seldom been at the top of the agenda.
Even so, Prince Philip was shocked after the late Queen’s accession to discover the reason why staff continued to place a bottle of whisky at her bedside.
Amazingly, it was Queen Victoria who’d insisted on having whisky available, as she believed a late-night tipple was a good remedy for a cold. And after her death, it hadn’t occurred to anyone to rescind the order.
Queen’s gems nabbed on M40
It wasn’t quite the heist of the century – but close. Incredibly, no one has breathed a word, until now, about how a daring thief managed to snaffle a bag of Queen Camilla’s jewellery.
The incident took place on the day Charles and Camilla had set off to catch a plane to Canada for their 2022 tour of Canada. En route, they stopped off at Beaconsfield Services – located off Junction 2 of the M40 motorway in Buckinghamshire.
Incredibly, no one has breathed a word, until now, about how a daring thief managed to snaffle a bag of Queen Camilla’s jewellery
And while they were inside, a thief stole Camilla’s jewels – which aides had left unattended in an unlocked car. One of them had stepped away for a cigarette, the other two were inside getting coffees.
The thief had simply walked up to the car and taken a bag labelled ‘HRH The Duchess of Cornwall’.
MI5 were immediately scrambled, and managed to track the culprit via CCTV. The jewellery was recovered within hours.
No charges were filed, no police report was ever made and the incident was buried to avoid embarrassment.
Cocaine, bar brawls and a top aide caught shoplifting at Fortnum’s
Some close to the Crown feel the King has been ill-served by senior aides letting standards slip. Since the death of his parents, sources say, the Royal Household has weathered a string of scandals involving staff misconduct.
Behind closed doors, serious questions are now being asked about privilege, responsibility and who is truly keeping the palace in order.
Less than a year ago, one maid had to resign amid allegations of cocaine use and other substance abuse. But she may have been one of many who abused their position.
And this, of course, raises questions about the internal culture of the Household and who is responsible for its oversight.
Last year, too, there was a fight at an All Bar One following a Christmas party for Buckingham Palace staff. Trouble had apparently flared when up to 50 servants, who’d already had a few drinks, arrived for a pre-arranged party.
In November 2023, one of the royal aides was stopped for alleged shoplifting at the upmarket Fortnum & Mason store in Piccadilly, London
Police officers were called after reports of glasses being hurled about and punches being thrown. One housemaid was arrested after aiming a punch at the manager and smashing glasses. She ended up being fined and spending a night in custody.
But it’s a shoplifting incident that has left a particularly sour taste.
In November 2023, one of the royal aides was stopped for alleged shoplifting at the upmarket Fortnum & Mason store in Piccadilly, London, as this paper first revealed. Despite a valuable diamond bracelet being found in her bag, she somehow escaped punishment.
Yet it had seemed an open-and-shut case. She’d not only been filmed in the act of stealing it, but security staff had actually observed her removing a security tag from the bracelet before trying to leave via a side exit. What’s more, store detectives had allegedly watched her taking make-up samples on a previous visit.
In other words, she was caught red-handed.
Yet after making it clear she’d henceforth be banned from the store, Fortnum & Mason simply allowed her to leave. The aide later claimed the ‘theft’ had been a misunderstanding. No charges were filed, reportedly due to concerns that prosecuting a royal aide could jeopardise the store’s Royal Warrants, first granted in 1910.
Fortnum & Mason, founded in 1707 when it started selling recycled candles from the Royal Household, has long been known as the late Queen’s favourite store.
It has also had a longstanding relationship with other members of the Royal Family. Despite the gravity of the shoplifting incident, no disciplinary action was taken against the aide, who was described by colleagues as ‘utterly faithful’ to the Royal Family. The King and Queen were informed, but she kept her position.
Why had she swiped the bracelet? Palace sources claimed there was a mental health consideration.
So a good ending for her. Not so good, perhaps, for public confidence at a time when high street retailers were grappling with a surge in crime, with about 670 shoplifting cases going unsolved in the UK daily.
Then, in December last year, the King had a clearout of Royal Warrants. Among the several companies who lost them was the renowned British confectionery brand Cadbury, a warrant holder since 1854.
It is owned by American snack giant Mondelez, formerly known as Kraft Foods.
No official reasons are given for firms being stripped of the warrants but dietary and ethical considerations are important and business links to Russia are a key factor.
As for Fortnum & Mason, it was honoured with two new Royal Warrants that year; one from King Charles III and another from Queen Camilla. This marked the first time in 28 years that the store had received new warrants.
Just before Christmas last year, Camilla was spotted shopping there, where she picked up a £13.95 tin of cinnamon and orange tea – and paid for it.
Trusted dresser was ushered out of court
In the hours after the Queen’s death, her trusted personal assistant was permitted to pay her final respects.
Angela Kelly, who’d also been her dresser, was so overcome by grief, however, that she had to be helped out of the chamber by two footmen. Wisely, they didn’t feel Princess Anne would welcome her prolonged presence in the room where her mother had taken her last breath.
Without fanfare, Ms Kelly was then flown south and bluntly told to hand over the late Queen’s belongings and jewellery to a senior figure in King Charles’s circle. Her time at court was over.
Angela Kelly, far right, paid her final respects to the Queen shortly after her death – but was so emotional she needed escorting out of the chamber
Within months, she was asked to vacate her grace-and-favour Windsor home. King Charles honoured his mother’s wishes by securing her a new house in the Peak District, near her family, but also ensured that Ms Kelly signed a non-disclosure agreement.
This effectively put paid to any plans she might have to write a personal memoir of her employer – though she’d already published two with the Queen’s permission.
The King later asked his mother’s footman, Paul Whybrew – who famously appeared with the Queen in the James Bond skit for the 2012 Olympics – to review all her correspondence, including letters from the Hollywood star Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Mr Whybrew was ordered to send on anything potentially embarrassing to Charles for vetting. The footman was subsequently given a generous retirement settlement and, unlike Angela Kelly, allowed to live in retirement on the Windsor estate.
Adapted from The Windsor Legacy, by Robert Jobson (John Blake, £22), to be published November 6. © Robert Jobson 2025. To order a copy for £18.70 (offer valid to November 15; UK p&p free for orders over £25) go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.
