Prince Harry has revealed that he was 33 before he was allowed inside one of Queen Elizabeth II’s most private rooms at Buckingham Palace.
The royal residence contains 775 rooms, including grand state spaces, offices, guest bedrooms and staff quarters. However, the late Queen’s private dressing room remained largely off-limits, even to members of her own family.
Harry recalled being invited into the room shortly before his wedding to Meghan Markle in May 2018. The visit was arranged so Meghan could choose a tiara to wear on their wedding day.
Writing in his memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex said his grandmother personally offered Meghan access to the royal collection and invited the couple to Buckingham Palace for a private fitting.
Harry described entering the Queen’s dressing room, located beside her bedroom, as an extraordinary experience because he had never previously been inside.
Several people joined them for the appointment, including the Queen’s trusted dresser, Angela Kelly, and a jewellery expert familiar with the history of the royal collection.
Five tiaras were displayed for Meghan to try on in front of a full-length mirror, while Harry watched from behind. Meghan eventually chose Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara for the ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
Although it may seem surprising that Harry had never entered his grandmother’s dressing room, he has previously explained that she was not simply a close relative to him. She was also the monarch and head of the Royal Family.
Harry said this distinction was initially difficult to explain to Meghan, who viewed the meeting more casually because the Queen was his grandmother.
In his memoir, Harry recalled reminding Meghan before their first meeting that she was about to meet the Queen. When Meghan pointed out that she was also his grandmother, Harry responded: “But she’s the Queen.”
