Harry and Meghan's wedding: The real falling out before the big day

Four years on from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, a lot has changed for the couple.

With them now living in California with their children Archie, three, and Lilibet, 11 months, away from royal duties, we look back at what really happened before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's big day.

It seems it was Harry, not Meghan, who had a royal falling out before the ceremony on 19 May 2018, according to a book widely reported to be their side of the story.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family reports that Harry had an argument with the Queen’s right-hand woman Angela Kelly, and thought she was ignoring his requests for a final tiara fitting for Meghan.

The book explains Harry tagged along with Meghan when she went to Buckingham Palace to see what options she would be given for a tiara to borrow for her wedding day.

The Queen had offered five different options all of which were carefully handled by Kelly, who is the Queen’s personal assistant, advisor and curator of her jewellery and wardrobe. The decision was made not to bring a hair stylist to that first fitting as it was felt it would have “detracted from the intimacy of the personal moment”.

Instead, a full fitting with the stylist was to be arranged for another day.

Read more: What did Meghan Markle really know about the Royals before meeting Harry?

However, when it came to arranging that day, the book claims “no matter how many requests were sent by Kensington Palace, the Queen’s personal dresser didn’t respond”.

Not knowing when Kelly was free, “Harry was furious”, authors Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie say.

Kelly is one of the few people allowed to actually touch the Queen and because of their close relationship, is on call almost all the time.

However despite knowing about palace protocol and the two women being in Windsor for Easter, Harry “didn’t believe that Angela was truly unavailable”.

Read more: What Meghan was like on her wedding day, from those who were there

The book claims: “What followed between the prince and Angela was a heated exchange that was far from the typical restraint expected.

“According to a source, Harry had no problem confronting the issue head on.

“‘He was fed up,’ said the aide.”

According to Scobie and Durand, the prince had to go straight to his grandmother to arrange a tiara trial for Meghan.

It was later reported that Meghan had demanded a different tiara from the Queen for her wedding day.

But the book claims Meghan was dismayed by those reports, and told a friend “I love my tiara”.

Read more: A video of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge holding hands has gone viral on TikTok

The book also says that two of the features of the wedding ceremony were suggestions by Prince Charles.

According to the authors, the Kingdom Choir and the address by Bishop Michael Curry were ideas offered up by Charles, Harry’s father.

Charles revealed on Classic FM in 2020 that he suggested some of the pieces for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding back in 2011, too.

It also offers another insight into the reported row between Meghan and Kate, with claims that Kate left a bridesmaid dress fitting in tears.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the duchess, not long having given birth to Louis, was left upset at the mid-May fitting, but a new source, who Scobie and Durand say has never spoken out before, said the reports were “puzzling”.

The source added: “There were no tears from anyone.”

A spokesperson for William and Kate has previously said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to ‘Finding Freedom’.

“This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”

Circling back to their life today, it has been announced Harry and Meghan won't make a Trooping the Colour balcony appearance, alongside the Queen and other key royals at the Platinum Jubilee in June - but they will attend the weekend's celebrations alongside their two children, the youngest still yet to meet her great-grandmother.

Watch: Harry and Meghan marry in emotional wedding