At her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, Meghan Markle was walked down the aisle by King Charles. Harry’s dad stood in for Meghan’s own father, Thomas Markle, who was unable to attend the royal wedding. Harry subsequently revealed that Charles had enjoyed showing his support for the couple by walking with the Duchess of Sussex. However, a royal expert has now suggested that Queen Elizabeth wasn’t necessarily on board with the decision.

In her new book, My Mother and I, royal expert Ingrid Seward revealed that the queen was “uneasy” with Charles’ decision (via RadarOnline). According to Seward, “The Queen was not comfortable with the Prince of Wales standing in for Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, and was similarly concerned about a 96-year-old Prince Philip walking down the aisle without a stick, having had a hip replacement only five weeks before.”

King Charles walks Meghan Markle up the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry.
In what seems like a major dig at Meghan, Seward also claimed that Prince Philip regarded the Duchess of Sussex as “the new Wallis Simpson.” Simpson, of course, was the American divorcée whom Edward VIII abdicated the throne for.

It’s unclear why Queen Elizabeth was uncomfortable with Charles’ decision to walk Meghan down the aisle. It’s also worth noting that the Duchess of Sussex walked herself down the first half of the aisle, and that the royal wedding itself was generally regarded as pretty spectacular.

A lot has changed since Meghan and Harry tied the knot. The couple left the U.K. for a new life in Montecito, California, where they are raising their two children—son Prince Archie and daughter Princess Lilibet. A much talked about royal family rift has also ensued, with Meghan and Harry sadly remaining at odds with their relatives. However, the Sussexes are reportedly hoping to heal family relations in the near future.