Queen Elizabeth, Lone Voice of Reason, Has Reportedly Had Enough of All This Royal Drama

The monarchy may be on its way to becoming a relic of the past, but Queen Elizabeth II appears to now be one of the few voices of reason in the upper tiers of society—at least on one matter. Speaking for all of us, she’s reportedly made it known to those in her inner circle that she’s had enough with all of the royal drama that’s been afoot ever since Meghan Markle joined the family last May, following her wedding to Prince Harry. For much of last year, it centered around repeated questions of whether or not Markle had been breaking royal traditions, as well as her father and estranged sister’s determination to dominate the news cycle. But at the end of 2018, a new figure was drawn into the fray: Kate Middleton, aka Markle’s newly minted sister-in-law.

By the end of this past November, no one had any reason to doubt that Middleton and Markle were pals: That month saw them come together with their husbands to spend a weekend together, not to mention go on two back-to-back double dates, and proclaiming their excitement about Markle’s pregnancy. The beginning of December also saw them take style cues from each other, even wearing matching outfits. Alas, their affection toward each other turned out to pale in comparison to the tabloids’ affection for stories of women fighting other women, and by the end of November, rumors about a reported feud between the pair, which sounded straight out of The Crown, complete with reports that it stemmed from yet another feud between Prince William and Prince Harry, were rampant.

Whether or not it’s true that Prince Harry was upset with his brother for not making more of an effort with Markle, it certainly seems like that possibility was enough for Kensington Palace to embark on a mini PR mission of shutting down any rumors of ill will between the Cambridges and the Sussexes. After confirming that Meghan and Harry would be moving into the royal residence of Frogmore Cottage, which the queen bestowed upon the couple after their wedding, meaning they’ll no longer be living next door to William and Kate, a palace spokesperson also deigned to not only issue a rare comment, but also to do so with a notorious tabloid, The Sun, which reported that Meghan and Kate got into an argument ahead of the royal wedding. But according to the spokesperson, anyway, all that actually “never happened.”

What did happen, however, in the weeks that followed were quite a few shows and reports of Middleton and Markle apparently getting on swimmingly. Last week, the pair spent Christmas together, and a few days later, they were spotted partaking of the wholesome activities of “chuckling” and playing Scrabble. (Unfortunately, the palace didn’t seize its true opportunity to bring the rumors to an end by making sure that Middleton brought Markle along when she did some last-minute Christmas shopping at a discount store.)

Though there’s no actual proof that any drama between the pair ever really existed, somehow, the rumors have so far enjoyed a nearly two-month lifespan, and tediously persisted into the new year. A new report from Us Weekly citing an unnamed “source,” then, seems pretty believable. By the time the holidays came around, the queen had narrowed down the gift she most desired on her wish list: “She desperately wanted Meghan and Kate to make up,” the source said, “and she got her wish!”

In fact, the queen, like pretty much anyone else who’s been scrolling through the news over the past two months, has apparently “reached her limit with all the drama”—and who can blame her? After all, she’s also had to put up with some baseless rumors about her own relationship with her daughter-in-law, which, prior to reports that they’ve butted heads over—gasp!—a tiara, had only ever been characterized as remarkably “close” and “warm.” (Nothing, in fact, appears to put a smile on the queen’s face quicker than being alongside Markle.) Whether or not her fatigue with the drama is true, it definitely seems like a viable contender for the mysterious reason why Prince Harry has reportedly been so mysteriously “really grumpy” as of late.

Related: This Apparent Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Drama, Explained