What Queen Elizabeth Really Thought of Meghan Markle, According to Insiders
When Meghan Markle entered the royal family, it appeared to outsiders that senior royals went out of their way to make her feel welcome. Knowing that the ways of the House of Windsor were completely foreign to Meghan, many of its members reportedly tried to help her assimilate as quickly as possible. However, there were still some things about the American actor that just didn’t sit right with the royals, including Queen Elizabeth, who quickly developed her own opinion about Prince Harry’s bride.
Meghan Markle painted a rosy picture of her relationship with Queen Elizabeth
During Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2018 engagement interview, Meghan was complimentary toward Queen Elizabeth, painting a positively rosy outlook on their relationship.
“It’s incredible, I think, you know, to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honor and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother,” Meghan said (via BBC). “All of those layers have been so important to me that when I met her 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.”
In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan shared that she and the queen had forged a good relationship. “We had one of our first joint engagements together and had breakfast together that morning. She’d given me a beautiful gift, and I just really loved being in her company,” Meghan explained.
“We were in the car going between engagements, and she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth. And it was chilly, and she was like, ‘Meghan, come on’ and put it over my knees as well. It made me think of my grandmother, where she’s always been warm and inviting and really welcoming.”
Insiders reveal how Queen Elizabeth felt about Meghan Markle
It is unclear how Queen Elizabeth really felt about Meghan Markle. Outwardly, she seemed to want her grandson Prince Harry to be happy. But did she have reservations about his marriage from the beginning?
According to royal reporter Ingrid Seward’s book My Mother and I, the queen had several issues with Meghan, beginning with her wedding to Harry. Seward reports that Elizabeth didn’t like the fact that Meghan wore a white gown, and she wasn’t happy with the idea of her son, Charles, walking his daughter-in-law down the aisle.
Reportedly the queen also wasn’t happy with the couple’s decision to leave the royal family and found allegations they made during their interview with Oprah Winfrey alarming. Subsequently, the couple left a sour taste in the queen’s mouth when they called their daughter Lilibet. Elizabeth didn’t confirm that she gave Harry and Meghan permission to use her childhood nickname for their little girl.
The Spectator‘s Kara Kennedy reported in 2023 that Elizabeth reportedly “saw through” Meghan. She cited a source who claimed the monarch called Meghan “evil” at a 2022 Balmoral event.
“At the drinks before the dinner, a small group was talking to the monarch and she explained that Harry meeting Meghan had become a complete catastrophe and described her as evil. By this point, we all knew the Queen’s health was in decline and she had months left, she seemed regretful about how things had panned out.”
When did Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth see each other before the monarch’s death?
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left the United Kingdom to live in the United States in early 2020. They left their duties as working senior royals behind.
It would be two years until Harry and Meghan returned to the U.K. to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. The couple joined other senior royals at a service of thanksgiving honoring Queen Elizabeth at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Harry and Meghan sat in the second row alongside Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and their husbands.
Three months later, Harry and Meghan returned to the U.K. to mourn Queen Elizabeth, who died on Sept. 8, 2022. They appeared alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton to tour to mourners outside of Windsor Castle.
