Prince Harry has clapped back at criticism he and Meghan Markle received after the British press ran a story accusing Markle of having poisonous flowers at their wedding. While the story initially gained traction in 2018, Prince Harry is now addressing it with his memoir, Spare.
Spare will hit bookshelves on January 10, but excerpts from the memoir have already been released. One detail from his upcoming memoir that arose was the infamous poisonous flower scandal.
The incident was used as an example of the vicious attacks that the British media launched against Markle. However, the poisonous flower story in the Express caused a sensation as it claimed that Markle had “put Princess Charlotte’s life at risk.”
The claim was made after Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s niece had worn a crown adorned with Lily of the Valley flowers. The Express article elaborated that Lily of the Valley is “poisonous,” “unsafe to have around children,” and could cause death.
Prince Harry explained that it is true that, in some cases, the flower could be deadly. However, fatalities from ingesting Lily of the Valley flowers are extremely rare.
In most cases, ingestion of the plant would cause minor discomfort, not death.
Prince Harry put ‘Meghan the Killer’ story to rest
In addition to explaining that the dangers of Lily of the Valley had seemingly been exaggerated, Prince Harry also wrote that it wasn’t even their decision to use the flowers in the wedding.
A professional florist had made and provided the headpieces for the young girl. Additionally, Lily of the Valley is a traditional flower frequently used in royal weddings.
Princess Diana and Kate Middleton reportedly had the flower in their wedding bouquets. Hence, it was odd that the use of flowers caused a stir only when spotted at Markle’s wedding.
Meanwhile, the report completely ignored the fact that Markle had nothing to do with the choice of flowers in Princess Charlotte’s headpiece. The article seemed to indicate Markle had recklessly and intentionally chosen a deadly plant for her niece.
The article even shared a photo of the young Princess sneezing and insinuated she was in “agony” from the “toxic” flowers on her head. Prince Harry slammed the sensational article for seemingly being eager to paint Markle as a “killer” to the public.
Prince Harry detailed more wedding drama in his memoir
Prince Harry’s memoir delved into more of the wedding drama that occurred in 2018. Among the incidents was one in which Markle got into an altercation with Kate Middleton that left her in tears “on the floor.”
According to Prince Harry, Princess Charlotte’s dress measurements were a bit off, which was expected, and a tailor was made available to make necessary adjustments. When Middleton texted Markle concerned about her dress, Markle urged her to go to the palace’s tailor.
However, this didn’t satisfy Middleton, who allegedly demanded to meet in person with Markle. During the meeting, she claimed Princess Charlotte had burst into tears when trying on the dress and that the entire dress would have to be remade by scratch four days before the wedding.
Ultimately, Middleton ended up going to the tailor and apologized with flowers and a card later. The incident reportedly left Markle in tears, though.
Prince Harry also touched on the tiara fiasco after reports swirled that Markle had been denied her choice of a tiara for the royal wedding. He explained that Markle had been urged to pick a tiara from Queen Elizabeth’s collection instead of Princess Diana’s.
The Prince didn’t confirm if Markle was allowed to wear her first choice of tiara, but he did explain that they were presented with obstacles as the palace required “an ordinance and police escort” for Markle to take the tiara.
The wedding seemed to be fodder for stress and drama, so more stories may yet arise when Prince Harry’s memoir is officially released.