Meghan Markle appeared to get on famously with Queen Elizabeth II as she embarked on royal life in 2017, yet the Duchess of Sussex wasn’t by the monarch when she died at 96.

The former Suits actress has previously spoken of the late Queen’s warmth when they embarked on their first royal engagement together, allowing Markle to familiarise herself with her new royal status.

In 2018, Markle was offered the opportunity to accompany the Queen for their first joint royal engagement in Cheshire.

The solo outing was an opportunity for Meghan to learn the intricate rules of The Firm, but it also allowed the Queen to put on the display of warmth that she’d failed to portray with Diana, body language expert Judi James argued.

“By royal terms, this would have been the warmest of welcomes to the royal family by the late Queen, who took her newest grand-daughter-in-law on a solo royal visit to allow for some bonding as well as showing a glimpse of royal working life and protocol,” noted James.

“New royal wives can historically be thrown into the job to sink or swim.”

This had proven to be the case for Diana, whose lack of support from The Firm became known internationally as the twenty-year-old integrated into royal life.

When Kate Middleton married into the royal family, on the other hand, she chose to shadow the royals quietly, taking years to unfurl onto the royal stage, according to Judi.

“The Queen [looked] very attentive to Meghan though,” the expert noted and never was this more apparent than during their first outing.

The monarch performed several backward glances in what looked like a bid to ensure Meghan was following and also comfortably hosted.

“Her Majesty is also very empathetic about performing some wide smiles of delight when they are sitting next to each other, to register affection to a global audience,” added Judi.

Before the outing, the Queen had broken royal protocol by inviting the Duchess, who was not yet married to Harry, to celebrate Christmas at Sandringham estate.

The relationship reportedly took a turn in 2020, when Meghan and Harry announced that they wished to relinquish their roles as working royals.

The news reportedly infuriated several senior members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, Prince William, and the Queen, because they were not given a heads-up.

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

A source later told US Weekly in 2021: “The Queen was hoping that they’d return, but there is not much she can do about it and accepts their decisions.”

Their relationship became even more tumultuous when Harry and Megha filmed a sit-down interview with CBS in March 2021, making several bombshell allegations about The Firm.  

Responding to the claims, Buckingham Palace put out the statement: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.”

Matters calmed down when Harry and Meghan announced that they were calling their daughter Lilibet, named after the Queen’s nickname.

The Queen’s death at Balmoral Castle in September 2022, however, marked the ending of a relationship that had started on the right foot, but become turbulent.

Source: Read Full Article