QUEEN Elizabeth II reportedly stepped in to reprimand Meghan Markle after the Duchess was rude to a Windsor gardener, royal historian Hugo Vickers has revealed.
Vickers told the Daily T podcast that the head gardener complained directly to the Queen about Meghan’s behaviour, prompting Her Majesty to personally confront her.
“She, apparently, was rude to one of the undergardeners, and the head gardener went up to the queen and reported this,” Vickers explained.
Why This Matters
The Queen's reported rebuke over Meghan's alleged rudeness matters because it spotlights tensions between modern celebrity behavior and longstanding royal expectations, shaping public perceptions of the monarchy, staff welfare and the duchess's reputation.
“And the queen got into her car and went down and tore a strip off her because you cannot be rude to staff, you know.”
The historian added that Meghan “didn’t know how to behave with staff” and “needed to be ticked off, put in her place.”
This isn’t the first time the Queen reportedly had to intervene over Meghan’s treatment of palace staff.
Author Katie Nicholls detailed an incident where Meghan upset a wedding caterer by demanding a vegan, macrobiotic dish and insisting the chef remove egg from the menu.
When the Queen heard about it, she “suddenly walked in” and told Meghan, “in this family we don’t speak to people like that,” according to Nicholls’ 2025 book The New Royals.
Meghan’s reputation for difficult behaviour has followed her since joining the royal family.
She was nicknamed “Duchess Difficult” after palace staff complained about her demanding emails and high staff turnover.
An internal palace investigation was launched after leaked emails revealed concerns staff were bullied and undermined by the Duchess.
Meghan’s representatives denied the claims, calling them a “calculated smear campaign.” Since stepping back from royal duties and moving to California, reports of tense relations with staff have continued.
A 2024 exposé described Meghan as “relentless” and “terrifying,” alleging she reduced grown men to tears while Prince Harry was seen as an enabler.
The Queen’s rare direct rebuke highlights ongoing tensions behind the royal curtain over Meghan’s treatment of those around her.
