As the royals lurch from one controversy to the next, one member of the family has so far managed to stay out of the limelight and on good terms with everyone – the Queen’s first granddaughter, Zara Tindall.
WATCH: Zara Tindall wins a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics
As no-nonsense as they come, 40-year-old Zara has inherited her mum’s businesslike attitude and dedicated work ethic – but even she’s had just about enough of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
New Idea understands fed-up Zara plans to have a “firm word” with her younger cousin, after the Sussexes’ latest spate of controversial moves, including Meghan confirming she’s launching her Spotify podcast series in June, which will compete for column inches against the Queen’s jubilee.
Meanwhile, Harry, 37, has launched yet another lawsuit against a UK newspaper, this time claiming the Mail on Sunday “injured his feelings” by reporting that he never legitimately promised to pay for his family’s security when they return to the UK from California.
He claims he did, at a meeting in Sandringham in January 2020, which was also reportedly attended by the monarch, Prince Charles and Prince William – leading some insiders to suggest lawyers might try to call them as witnesses.
“This was the final straw for Zara, who is incredibly close with her grandmother and can’t stand seeing Harry and Meghan playing games during the twilight of her life,” says a source.
“She’s tried to sit back quietly and not take sides as the rest of her cousins have battled it out, but one thing she won’t hear of is having her grandmother’s platinum jubilee celebrations overshadowed by a podcast from California.
“She wants to tell Harry to pull his head in and stop Meghan from doing something so blatantly conniving.”
The source adds, “Harry and Meghan have had this Spotify podcast deal up their sleeves, sitting dormant, for almost two years. So why choose the same month as the Queen’s jubilee celebrations to release it? It doesn’t sit right with Zara at all.”
A palace insider says Zara’s intervention echoes her own mother Princess Anne’s protectiveness of the Queen.
“The rest of the family is very relieved that Zara is finally preparing to step in, because everyone knows Harry will listen to her,” says the source. “She very much takes after her mum and won’t tolerate nonsense, and the thought of anyone ruining what is likely to be the Queen’s last hurrah is unacceptable to Zara.”
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