Whatever the reason, Meghan Markle's arrival on the royal scene portended trouble for a family divided across an ocean.

Marie Claire spoke with royal biographer Andrew Morton, whose new book, The Queen: Her Life (opens in new tab), offers insight into what was going on behind the scenes when Markle first married Prince Harry. For Morton, the queen did everything she could to welcome her new granddaughter-in-law.

"I think the queen did her best to welcome her into the family. I mean, obviously," he tells "Marie Claire." [In particular, she took her to Merseyside. She gave her jewels, pearls, and other gifts. She put Samantha [Cohen, his private secretary] in her office and taught her Commonwealth and monarchical etiquette." [and I think she really embraced her and tried to bring her into the fold in a very friendly and open way."

"I mean, sadly, Harry had a conversation with Oprah at a London hotel in December 2018 to discuss the interview, and even then he was looking for a way out."

"Yeah, within six months... They got married in May 2018, right?"

"Yeah, so December, or November."

Asked if the royal family knew about the trouble that would come after the wedding, Morton says, "No, I don't think they knew.

He added, "I mean, we certainly knew that Harry was not happy in the Royal Family, and as you know, he had counseling, psychological counseling. He found it very difficult to go out in public

"But on the contrary, he was, and still is, a charismatic figure with a Diana touch. For that matter, so was Princess Meghan. Obviously both of them are now the target of a great deal of criticism from people."