King Charles Reportedly Had a Secret Nickname for Meghan Markle While She Was in the Royal Family
According to a new book from a royal expert, King Charles III privately used a nickname for Meghan Markle that he adopted before she married Prince Harry. And sources said it became a “term of endearment” he used before the couple stepped down from royal duties.
What “unbending” label did Charles supposedly give to the Duchess of Sussex, and why? And how did Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly feel about the attention she initially received from the royal family? Read on to find out.
King Charles III nicknamed Meghan Markle ‘Tungsten’ because she’s ‘tough and unbending,’ according to a new book
In 2018, the Daily Mail reported sources claims that Charles had privately taken to calling Meghan “Tungsten,” referring to the metal. They said he chose it because she is “tough and unbending.”
“Prince Charles admires Meghan for her strength and the backbone she gives Harry, who needs a tungsten-type figure in his life as he can be a bit of a softy,” an insider offered. “It’s become a term of endearment.”
Royal expert Katie Nicholl touched on the rumored nickname in her new book, The New Royals. She noted Meghan became known for her “toughness and resilience” after making her first joint appearance with Harry alongside William and Kate in 2018.
Prince William and Kate Middleton ‘realized they needed to up their game’ after Meghan Markle earned her nickname, sources say
One of Nicholl’s sources said the four’s first royal engagement also left the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on high alert. “It was, according to one aide, the moment William and Kate, who was heavily pregnant, realized they needed to up their game,” she shared in her book (per Entertainment Tonight).
“The Cambridges had already signaled their intention to be more than ‘ornamental royals’ …,” she wrote, adding that “along with Harry, [they] made a huge success of their mental health campaign Heads Together.”
According to Nicholl’s book, William and Kate didn’t expect Meghan to be “the breakout star of the foursome.”
“She was polished, passionate, and funny, using all her TV-honed skills to present her case,” she explained. “That was a wake-up moment for William and Kate when they realized that Meghan was very impressive, very confident, and very capable, according to a source.”
Meghan Markle said Prince Harry’s estrangement from his family wasn’t her choice
In an interview with New York Magazine, Meghan compared her fractured relationship with her father to Harry’s estrangement from Charles and the royal family since stepping down from his duties. She’s received blame from some press for the distance between her husband and his kin, though she said it was his choice.
“Harry said to me, ‘I lost my dad in this process,’” she shared. “It doesn’t have to be the same for them as it was for me, but that’s his decision.”
On a side note, Queen Elizabeth’s death created opportunities for displays of affection between estranged royal family members. For example, King Charles recognized Harry and Meghan and expressed love for them in his first public speech after she died.
