A report has claimed that Queen Elizabeth II referred to Meghan Markle as “evil” and called her courtship with her grandson Prince Harry a “complete catastrophe” in August 2018.

A source close to the royals told the Spectator that the Queen had made the uncharacteristic remarks during a reception in Balmoral.

The source said that the Queen “saw through Meghan Markle”, adding that “everybody’s eyebrows hit the ceiling” in response to her comments.

The source suggested that the Queen’s outburst came because her health was in decline, and she seemed regretful about how things had panned out.

The Spectator suggested that the Queen’s comments were further proof that Markle’s relationship with the royals was likely “irreparable” even last year, before Harry’s memoir “Spare” and the couple’s Netflix docu-series.

Other insiders have also challenged the couple’s claims that the Queen was the only senior royal with whom they remained on warm terms.

According to biographer Tom Bower, the Queen once remarked about her husband Prince Philip’s funeral: “Thank goodness Meghan is not coming.”

The friction between the couple and the royal family became even more obvious after the Queen’s death, with Harry forced to dash to her deathbed without his wife.

Still, they appeared together for her funeral, which only further highlighted their estrangement from the rest of Harry’s family.

Markle, 41, is missing Saturday’s coronation of her father-in-law, King Charles III, ostensibly to focus on celebrating her son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, which falls on the same day.

Even worse is her relationship with her own father, Thomas Markle, from whom she has been completely estranged since he was a no-show at her 2018 royal wedding, leaving Charles to walk her down the aisle.

Hubby Harry, 38, is flying in for his dad’s historic crowning, but is expected to leave within a day.

The report about the Queen’s comments has caused a stir, as it is unusual for members of the royal family to make such personal and negative remarks about each other in public.

It raises questions about the extent of the rift between the couple and the rest of the family, and whether it can ever be repaired.

Some commentators have suggested that the couple’s recent media appearances, including Harry’s memoir and their Netflix series, have only made things worse.

Others have argued that the royal family has been slow to adapt to changing social attitudes and that the couple’s departure from royal life was inevitable.

Whatever the cause, it is clear that the relationship between the couple and the rest of the family remains strained.