Meghan Markle Reveals Her Early Relationship With Queen Elizabeth Behind Closed Doors
The Duchess of Sussex describes her dynamic with "Harry's grandmother" during Harry & Meghan.
Meghan Markle remembers the late Queen Elizabeth in the fourth episode of her docuseries, Harry and Meghan, and it reveals a softer side of the relations between the royal family and the now-distanced couple. While the second half of the series continues with its bag full of bombshells, viewers also get a sweet pause between the chaos when Markle shares a glimpse of her relationship with Her Majesty behind closed doors, at the beginning of her time with the Royal family.
The pair revealed that while they were residing at Kensington Palace, they were really living in Nottingham Cottage, a quaint residence on the grounds of the palace. It was so cozy that Harry would hit his head on the ceiling. They recount how Oprah had once come over for tea, surprised to learn that they weren’t, in fact, staying in the actual palace. Harry shared that upon entering, Oprah proclaimed, “No one would ever believe it!”
It was clear that the life they were living, even in England, was much different than what the public saw, and it was also the case when it came to Meghan and Harry’s relationship with the Queen herself.
Markle goes on to share her experience on June 14, 2018, when they visited Chesire, England, for a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge. “My first official engagement with Her Majesty was very early on after we got married. We took the royal train together, and we had breakfast that morning. I had a really great time with her.”
Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle greeting members of the public while attending a ceremony in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England.
When asked what she talked about with the Queen of England, Meghan smiled and shared, “I treated her as my husband’s grandma. And knowing that, of course, there has to be a completely different sense of propriety and whatnot in public.”
“When you’re sitting and having breakfast, to just be able to talk,” she continued. “I mean, when we go into the car in-between engagements, she had a blanket, and she put it over my knees, and we’re sitting in the car with this blanket, and I thought, ‘I recognize and respect and see that you are the Queen, but in this moment, I’m so grateful that there’s a grandmother figure. Because that feels like family.’”
Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018.
Markle admits that her affinity for matriarchal energy comes from the close bond she had with her own grandmother, which she took care of up until her passing. “I was so so close with my grandmother,” she gushed. “It was really... It was such a... Such a good day. We laughed,” she added, regarding her time with the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth passed away in her residence in Scotland on September 8, 2022, surrounded by family. She was beloved by the United Kingdom and beyond and was always described as eloquently as Meghan recounts. She was the first-ever head of the British Monarchy to reign for 70 years and celebrate her Platinum Jubilee before her passing.
How heartwarming, that in such a difficult time for Harry and Meghan, the Head of State herself provided a sense of solace.
