Glenconner, lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, says Markle thought royal life would be 'like being another actress,' 'riding around in a golden coach'
Prince Harry suffering following exit, but private matters should stay private in families: Italian prince
Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy reflects on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step back as senior royals, as well as King Charles III becoming Britain's reigning monarch following Queen Elizabeth II's death.
Queen Elizabeth's childhood friend Lady Anne Glenconner shared her opinion on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid their estrangement from the royal family after stepping down from their official roles in 2020.
The 91-year-old aristocrat was lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret for three decades and served as a maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. During a recent appearance on the "Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth" podcast, she recalled that she had known the 39-year-old Duke of Sussex from the time he was a child, describing him as a "lovely little boy."
Glenconner went on to say that she believed that Markle, a former "Suits" star, thought that becoming a royal would be the same as life as a celebrity before she married Harry in May 2018.
"I think the thing about Meghan was, she had no idea what was expected of her really," Glenconner said. "I think she just thought it was sort of like being another actress, you know. Riding around in a golden coach and everything like that."
Queen Elizabeth's childhood friend Lady Anne Glenconner is voicing her opinion on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. (Getty)
She continued, "Actually, being a member of the royal family — a lot of it is extremely boring."
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"A lot of it is meeting hundreds of thousands of people you are never going to meet again – always trying to say something interesting and nice," Glenconner added. "I think it is very sad, and I feel very sad for Harry."
The socialite recounted an alleged encounter that she had with John Kerry, the United States special presidential envoy for climate, at King Charles III's coronation in May.
Glenconner said that she and Kerry had a conversation about the Sussexes during which he told her that he and all Americans also feel sympathy for Harry. She said that the interaction took place in the company of first lady Jill Biden and a group of Charles' friends.
Glenconner said that Markle "had no idea what was expected of her" when she became a royal and that she felt "very sad for Harry." (Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images)
"At the [king’s] coronation I happened to sit next to someone called John Kerry, who ran for president," Glenconner said. "He wanted to be president. And he came over with Mrs. Biden because he is into green things, and we were sitting with the king’s friends, and I said to him, ‘What do you think in America about Harry and Meghan?’ and he just said, ‘We all feel very, very sorry for Harry.’"
"I think I can just leave it there," Glenconner added.
Representatives for Prince Harry, Markle and Kerry did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
However, a representative for Kerry from the State Department told Fox News Digital, "Any implication that Sec. Kerry was commenting on the marriage would be wrong. Secretary Kerry does not remember being asked that question, but as a father in the public eye himself, he has nothing but empathy for people working through a family matter who all deserve privacy and compassion."
The aristocrat said that John Kerry told her that all Americans felt "very, very sorry for Harry," but a representative from the State Department told Fox News Digital that the former presidential candidate didn't "remember being asked that question." (AP Photo/Gustavo Moreno)
The podcast episode took place during a live event at the Barnes Book Fest in London on Oct. 20. Glenconner's remarks about Harry and Meghan came after an audience member asked her about the Sussexes.
Glenconner initially said, "On the whole, I don't talk about it." She added that her publisher advised her not to write about anything that would get her "canceled" when she was penning her 2022 book, "Whatever Next?: Lessons from an Unexpected Life," a follow-up to her 2019 memoir, "Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown."
The aristocrat served as Margaret's lady-in-waiting from 1973 until the princess's death in 2002. Born Anne Coke, Glenconner spent her childhood at her family's estate, Holkham Hall in Sandringham, Norfolk, England. Holkham Hall is located approximately 20 miles from Sandringham Estate, the royal family's country seat.
During a 2022 interview with the Eastern Daily Press, Glenconner recalled meeting Elizabeth and Margaret when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth brought them over to Holkham Hall to play.
Glenconner was Princess Margaret's lady-in-waiting from 1973 until the princess's death in 2002. She was a maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. (The Print Collector/Getty Images)
"I was 3 and the queen would have been about 8," she said. "They used to come over from Sandringham. I had a lovely time playing with Princess Margaret, the queen was more serious."
"Once we were playing in the Marble Hall, which of course we weren't supposed to do, and she told us off," Glenconner recalled.
"She was always a wonderful sister to Princess Margaret, she was devoted to her. She used to look after her."
In addition to enjoying lifelong friendships with Elizabeth and Margaret, Glenconner also has close ties to other members of the royal family.
In February, she told Fox News Digital that she has known King Charles, 74, since he was about 3 years old. Her mother, Lady Elizabeth Yorke, was a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth, the queen mother.
"When Prince Charles had mumps or measles, he used to come to my family home here," she said with a chuckle "I’ve always known him and he’s such a friend."
Glenconner told Fox News Digital that she has known King Charles since he was 3. (Alastair Grant)
Glenconner also shares a relationship with Charles' son and Harry's older brother, Prince William, 41, and his wife, Princess Kate Middleton, 41.
"I think Prince William and Kate are absolutely splendid," she told the Times in 2019. "They're the golden couple."
She recalled traveling with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, when they visited Mustique, a Caribbean island that her late husband, Colin Tennant, bought in 1958.
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"I was on the airplane with the Cambridges," Glenconner remembered. "And they said how much they enjoyed Mustique because it's so private. It's very nice that they come. We've got turtles now, and evidently George and Charlotte loved it."
When asked about Harry and Markle, Glenconner told the outlet, "I'm not going to say anything about them at all. I don't know her."
The socialite also shares a relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton. (HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
Relations between Harry and William became strained after the Sussexes announced that they were stepping down from their roles as senior royals in January 2020. The couple later moved to California with their children Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2.
The feud was further exacerbated by accusations of racism against an unnamed royal family member that were made by Harry and Markle in a 2021 television special hosted by Oprah Winfrey.
Harry and Markle continued to air their grievances in a Netflix docuseries that premiered in December 2022.
In January, Harry released a memoir, "Spare," which included details of private conversations with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William. He also alleged that his older brother physically attacked him during an argument about Markle.
Relations between the Sussexes and the royal family have been strained since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their official roles in 2020. (Chris Jackson)
During an interview on "60 Minutes" in January, Harry said he hadn’t spoken to William or Charles in "a while."
The publication of "Spare" continued to fan tensions between the couple and the royal family in the public eye. In March, Harry and Markle confirmed they were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, their home in the U.K.
Harry attended his father's coronation solo on May 6, but his visit lasted less than 24 hours. The royal left shortly after the ceremony to return to California to celebrate Archie's 4th birthday, which fell on the same day.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
