John Kerry told guests at King Charles III's Coronation that Americans feel "very, very sorry for Harry," in cryptic comments that have been interpreted by some as a swipe at Meghan Markle.
The U.S. special presidential envoy for climate was with First Lady Jill Biden when he was asked: "What do you think in America about Harry and Meghan?" at the ceremony in central London in May.
Lady Anne Glenconner, a maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation and a former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, relayed his remarks during The Barnes BookFest, a literary festival.
A spokesperson for Kerry, in a statement, refuted the suggestion he was commenting on the Sussex marriage.
Glenconner said: "I feel very sad for Harry because at the king's Coronation I happened to sit next to somebody called John Kerry, who ran for president. He wanted to be president.
"And he came over with Mrs. Biden, because he is into green things, and we were sitting with the king's friends, and I said to him, 'What do you think in America about Harry and Meghan?' and he just said, 'We all feel very, very sorry for Harry.'"
"So I think I can just leave it at that," she added, earning a laugh from the audience.
A State Department spokesperson told Newsweek: "Any implication that Secretary Kerry was commenting on the marriage would be wrong.
"Secretary Kerry does not remember being asked that question, but as a father in the public eye himself, he has nothing but empathy for people working through a family matter who all deserve privacy and compassion."
Glenconner also offered her own opinion on Harry and Meghan's retreat from royal life, moments before her revelation about Kerry.
"I used to know Harry because he was a little boy, because my [children's] nanny Barbara and I used to go and see him," she said. "He was a lovely little boy.
"I think the thing about Meghan was, she had no idea what was expected of her really. I think she just thought it was like being another actress, you know.
"Riding around in a golden coach and everything like that. Actually, being a member of the royal family—I mean I followed Princess Margaret for 34 years—a lot of it is extremely boring actually. Dedicated stuff, meeting hundreds of thousands of people you are never going to meet again, always trying to say something interesting and nice. I think it is very sad."
Harry and Meghan have always said they were driven out of Britain by hostile press coverage, some of which they blamed on royal leaks.
Asked by Oprah Winfrey in an interview whether they left because of racism, Harry replied: "It was a large part of it," arguing that the media had corrupted public opinion in Britain.
And in his mental health documentary, The Me You Can't See, also in 2021, he added: "I thought my family would help—but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence or total neglect."
The prince's book Spare, however, painted a more complex portrait of the collapse of his relationship with his brother, fueled by rivalry and fundamental disagreements about Meghan.
As late as October 2019, the brothers were arguing over text messages, just weeks before Harry and Meghan left Britain for Canada.
Harry wrote: "I worked hard at keeping my texts to him civil. Nonetheless, the exchange turned into an argument, which stretched over seventy-two hours. Back and forth we went, all day, late into the night—we'd never had a fight like that over text before.
"Angry, but also miles apart, as if we were speaking different languages. Now and then I realized that my worst fear was coming true: after months of therapy, after working hard to become more aware, more independent, I was a stranger to my older brother. He could no longer relate to me—tolerate me.
"Or maybe it was just the stress of the last few years, the last few decades,
finally pouring out. I saved the texts. I have them still. I read them sometimes, with sadness, with confusion, thinking: 'How did we ever get there?'"
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
