Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle probably have a complicated relationship, especially
since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their plans to step away from their traditional
royal roles. Here's the truth about Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan Markle's relationship.
Before she fell in love with Prince Harry and transformed from an actress to the Duchess
of Sussex seemingly overnight, Meghan Markle was just an American gal chasing her dreams.
So, you can imagine the nervousness Markle must have felt upon realizing she'd be meeting
the Queen of England.
Fortunately, according to a November 2017 BBC interview with Markle and Prince Harry,
meeting Queen Elizabeth II could not have gone over any better, with Markle saying:
"To be able to meet her through [Harry's] lens, not just with his honor and respect
for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother. All of
those layers have been so important for me."
"I had such a deep understanding, and of course incredible respect for being able to have
that time with her. She's an incredible woman."
Sounds like Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle's meeting was a powerful moment.
In October 2019, the documentary special Harry & Meghan: An African Journey aired in the
UK, providing a behind-the-scenes look at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's ten-day tour
of Africa. In the eye-opening documentary, journalist Tom Bradby talked with Meghan Markle
about the toll the spotlight had taken on her as she tried to navigate both royal life
and becoming a first-time mother.
"Not many people have asked if I'm okay, but it's a very real thing to be going through
behind the scenes."
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said Queen Elizabeth
II likely wouldn't offer a public display of support for Markle, saying:
"The Queen has always said, 'Never wear private grief on a public sleeve. While I do think
she will be sympathetic to what Harry and Megan are going through, I think she would
like to offer support from behind the scenes, without airing too much for public appetite."
Everyone wants to make a good impression on their in-laws, especially if their grandmother-in-law
just so happens to be the Queen of England. According to sources, Markle wasted no time
in earning the Queen's respect. In June 2018, just one month after Prince Harry and Markle's
royal wedding, a source told Us Weekly that the prince's grandmother was impressed with
his new bride. The anonymous source claimed:
"[Meghan's] enthusiasm towards living a life of service and humanitarianism excites the
Queen and it's just the type of vim and vigor she likes to see in someone."
In October 2019, a royal insider dished to Us Weekly that Queen Elizabeth II continued
to be pleased with her new granddaughter-in-law, saying,
"She's seeing a more mature, responsible side of Harry, and she's really impressed with
how Meghan's upped her game."
Sounds like Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle hit it off!
While Meghan Markle's former career as an American actress familiarized her with being
in the public eye, nothing could have prepared her for having the world watch as she married
into the British royal family and learned to navigate her new role as the Duchess of
Sussex.
However, according to royal commentator Duncan Larcombe, Queen Elizabeth II made it a priority
to ensure Markle felt like a welcome part of the royal family. Larcombe told Fabulous
Digital in August 2019:
"The Queen, last year in the first few months of Meghan's entry into the royal family, made
a particular and slightly unusual effort to welcome her in."
Larcombe revealed that the Queen had requested Markle accompany her to various events in
order to quote, "signal the fact that she was welcoming her into the royal family."
According to the royal commentator, part of the Queen's insistence on publicly welcoming
her new granddaughter-in-law to the royal family could possibly be traced to, quote,
"the lessons of the past where Princess Diana pretty much felt like an outsider in the royal
family."
You don't have to be a royal expert to know that Queen Elizabeth II has an affinity for
corgis, which reportedly started when she was gifted a Pembroke Welsh Corgi for her
18th birthday. That corgi, named Susan, would go on to become the common ancestor for each
of the famous corgis owned and loved by the Queen throughout her years on the throne.
In a November 2017 BBC interview, Prince Harry revealed that Meghan Markle had received the
royal corgis' stamp of approval.
"And the corgis took to you straight away. For the last 33 years, I've been barked at.
This one walks in, absolutely nothing. Just laying on my feet during tea. It was very
sweet."
And, in an adorable turn of events, it seems Queen Elizabeth II also gets along well with
Markle's pup, a beagle named Guy. So, did their shared love of dogs help bring Queen
Elizabeth and Meghan Markle together?
According to royal insiders, Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle formed a bond in a much
shorter timespan than the Queen did with Kate Middleton. In fact, as noted by The Sun, Middleton
reportedly didn't meet the Queen until 2008, when she was five years into her relationship
with Prince William. Two years later, Middleton and Prince William were engaged to be married.
Considering Markle's relationship with Prince Harry progressed at a much faster rate, it
only makes sense that the former actress' relationship with her royal grandmother-in-law
did, as well. Less than a month after her wedding to Prince Harry, it was announced
that Markle would be joining Queen Elizabeth II at multiple engagements, including a theater
opening, a Chester Town Hall lunch, and the Mersey Gateway Bridge opening.
Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe told Fabulous Digital that Markle was even invited aboard
the Queen's royal train to attend the June 2018 engagements. Calling the train ride "unusual,"
Larcombe revealed:
"I'm 99 percent sure [the Queen has] never afforded that offer to Kate."
While Meghan Markle's relationship with her in-laws has long been fraught with rumors
of a royal rift, there was once a time when the former actress was said to be on very
good terms with the royal family — especially her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II,
as well as sister-in-law Kate Middleton. That was fortunate as both before and after her
wedding to Prince Harry, media outlets were buzzing with reports that Markle and her father
were no longer speaking, with Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle, reportedly saying in
an interview:
"She'd be nothing without me. I made her the Duchess she is today."
"The royals owe me, Harry owes me, Meghan owes me."
Of course, the public interest in her familial relationships didn't exactly make for a smooth,
drama-free transition into royal life. But, according to royal insiders, Markle had shoulders
to lean on in Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Middleton. Robert Lacey, historical consultant
for Netflix's The Crown, told People magazine in August 2018:
"What's characterized these months are the two great relationships that she has struck
up with the Queen and with [Kate Middleton]. They seem to be her closest friends and partners
in the official set-up."
In April 2019, The Sun published a report alleging that Queen Elizabeth II had "banned"
Meghan Markle wearing jewelry pieces famously donned by the late Princess Diana. Adding
to the largely negative UK media coverage of the Duchess of Sussex, the report quoted
a royal insider as saying:
"It is at the discretion of the Queen and trusted advisers which items in the Royal
Collection she chooses to loan out and to whom."
The so-called insider purported that the Queen was, quote, "not impressed with some of Meghan's
demands," telling The Sun,
"As a result, Buckingham Palace has decided that not all items from the Queen's royal
collection will be opened up to Meghan."
However, according to a royal insider who spoke to Express in April 2019, the claims
of a jewelry feud were false. An anonymous source told Express:
"It is worth noting that the Queen lent Meghan a tiara for the wedding, gave her earrings
for her first royal engagement, and had just agreed to partly fund her new household."
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's January 2020 announcement that they would be stepping
back as senior members of the royal family took most people by surprise, some royal watchers
had suspected the rumored royal family rift was reaching its boiling point. And, when
Queen Elizabeth II delivered her annual Christmas Day speech in 2019, viewers couldn't help
but notice Her Royal Highness had chosen not to include a photo of the Duke and Duchess
of Sussex among photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Camilla
Parker Bowles, Prince Phillip, and the Queen's late father, King George VI.
Royal expert Anna Whitelock told BBC News that the Queen likely didn't mean to snub
Prince Harry and Markle with her photo choices. He explained:
"You could read into that that, simply, she is focused on her father and then the direct
heirs to the throne."
While Queen Elizabeth II may not have meant any harm with the photos, it's worth noting
the Queen did include a picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during her 2018 Christmas
Day speech.
In an interview with Today, royal expert Victoria Arbiter said Queen Elizabeth II was likely
blindsided when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took to Instagram to announce they'd be stepping
down as senior members of the royal family. Arbiter revealed:
"Why is it that they didn't, like, bring the Queen into the loop? I think that's one of
the big things. Why did they leave her out? That's the million dollar question."
However, according to journalist Tom Bradby, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had informed
the royal family of their desire to become financially independent. As Bradby wrote for
The Sunday Times, Prince Harry was encouraged to write down, quote, "some ideas for discussion,"
despite his concern the document would be leaked to the press. And, according to Bradby,
the private document was leaked to the press, prompting Prince Harry and Markle to take
swift action and make their own announcement.
No matter how it went down, it couldn't have helped Meghan's relationship with the Queen.
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