It seems Queen Elizabeth has heard Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's cries for help. Weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex candidly opened up about their struggles in the spotlight, it’s been revealed that the 93-year-old monarch has been helping her grandson and his American wife cope with the pressures of royal life. Her Majesty has reportedly been making private visits to the couple’s Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage.
"Courtiers have confirmed the Queen often drives around to see the couple at their Frogmore Cottage home when she is at nearby Windsor Castle," royal correspondent Richard Palmer reported. "It is understood she disagrees with Harry and Meghan's approach to some of the coverage." The monarch is reportedly "trying to hold" her family together following the "apparent tensions between Harry and his brother William."
Last month, Harry addressed his rumored rift with William saying they are "on different paths at the moment," while the former TV actress admitted in the ITV Harry & Meghan: An African Journey documentary that she is “not okay.” Speaking about the attention surrounding her as a member of the royal family, the Duchess confessed, “I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair.” She added, “I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip.’ I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”
Harry and Meghan will be taking a break from their royal duties starting at the end of November for “extended family time.” It was announced on November 13 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be celebrating their son Archie Harrison’s first Christmas with the Queen and royal family members at Sandringham. Instead, Meghan and Harry will spend the holiday with the Duchess’ mother, Doria Ragland, who lives in Los Angeles. The palace won’t reveal details about the Sussexes’ Christmas plans “for security reasons.”