Humble beginnings. Meghan Markle appeared to have an instant bond with Queen Elizabeth II — and despite the duchess’ ups and downs with the royal family, their friendship was still intact until Her Majesty’s death in September 2022.
The Bench author was introduced to the queen in 2017, shortly before she and Prince Harry announced their engagement that fall. Once the couple tied the knot in May 2018, Meghan’s relationship with the queen blossomed.
“[Her Majesty] has a brilliant sense of humor. That’s one of the first things that brought her and Meghan closer,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2018 after Meghan joined Elizabeth for a solo appearance. “It’s that warm side of her that has made Meghan feel so at ease.”
The Archewell cofounder recalled in her March 2021 CBS tell-all interview that her trip to Cheshire, England, with the monarch was more relaxed than some might think.
“We were in the car going between engagements. And she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth, and it was chilly,” Meghan remembered. “And she was like, ‘Meghan, come on,’ and put it over my knees as well. … And it made me think of my grandmother, where she’s always been warm and inviting and really welcoming.”
Though they started on the right foot, Meghan’s relationship with her grandmother-in-law hit a snag after she and Harry announced in January 2020 their plans to step back from their senior royal duties. One year later, the pair confirmed that they would not be returning as working royals and would remain living in California.
While the queen shared a statement of support for the couple, who had relocated to the U.S. in early 2020 with son Archie, a source later told Us that Elizabeth wanted a different outcome. “The queen was hoping that they’d return, but there is not much she can do about it and accepts their decision,” the insider said in February 2021.
Their dynamic was further strained in March 2021 when Meghan and Harry spoke out against the monarchy during their CBS sit-down. At the time, the Sussexes claimed that Meghan experienced racism, largely from the British press, while living in London and that she felt unsupported by The Firm.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” a statement from Buckingham Palace read after the allegations made headlines.
An insider told Us that same month, “The queen has always had a soft spot for Harry and looked out for him, so [she] is incredibly hurt and shocked that it has come to this.”
The drama surrounding Harry and Meghan appeared to subside somewhat in June 2021 when the couple welcomed their daughter, Lili, who is named after Elizabeth. (The queen’s nickname is Lilibet, which is Lili’s full first name.)
The Southern California residents “have a huge amount of respect for the queen,” a source told Us after Lili’s birth, noting that the moniker was “always their favorite” but had to be approved by the queen before they chose it. Us confirmed in June 2022 that the couple introduced Lili to the late monarch before her passing at age 96 a few months later.
Scroll down to relive Meghan’s relationship with the royal matriarch through the years:
Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II’s Relationship Before and After Her Royal Exit: Photos
Humble beginnings. Meghan Markle appeared to have an instant bond with Queen Elizabeth II — and despite the duchess’ ups and downs with the royal family, their friendship was still intact until Her Majesty’s death in September 2022.
The Bench author was introduced to the queen in 2017, shortly before she and Prince Harry announced their engagement that fall. Once the couple tied the knot in May 2018, Meghan’s relationship with the queen blossomed.
“[Her Majesty] has a brilliant sense of humor. That’s one of the first things that brought her and Meghan closer,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2018 after Meghan joined Elizabeth for a solo appearance. “It’s that warm side of her that has made Meghan feel so at ease.”
The Archewell cofounder recalled in her March 2021 CBS tell-all interview that her trip to Cheshire, England, with the monarch was more relaxed than some might think.
“We were in the car going between engagements. And she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth, and it was chilly,” Meghan remembered. “And she was like, ‘Meghan, come on,’ and put it over my knees as well. … And it made me think of my grandmother, where she’s always been warm and inviting and really welcoming.”
Though they started on the right foot, Meghan’s relationship with her grandmother-in-law hit a snag after she and Harry announced in January 2020 their plans to step back from their senior royal duties. One year later, the pair confirmed that they would not be returning as working royals and would remain living in California.
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While the queen shared a statement of support for the couple, who had relocated to the U.S. in early 2020 with son Archie, a source later told Us that Elizabeth wanted a different outcome. “The queen was hoping that they’d return, but there is not much she can do about it and accepts their decision,” the insider said in February 2021.
Their dynamic was further strained in March 2021 when Meghan and Harry spoke out against the monarchy during their CBS sit-down. At the time, the Sussexes claimed that Meghan experienced racism, largely from the British press, while living in London and that she felt unsupported by The Firm.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” a statement from Buckingham Palace read after the allegations made headlines.
An insider told Us that same month, “The queen has always had a soft spot for Harry and looked out for him, so [she] is incredibly hurt and shocked that it has come to this.”
The drama surrounding Harry and Meghan appeared to subside somewhat in June 2021 when the couple welcomed their daughter, Lili, who is named after Elizabeth. (The queen’s nickname is Lilibet, which is Lili’s full first name.)
The Southern California residents “have a huge amount of respect for the queen,” a source told Us after Lili’s birth, noting that the moniker was “always their favorite” but had to be approved by the queen before they chose it. Us confirmed in June 2022 that the couple introduced Lili to the late monarch before her passing at age 96 a few months later.
Scroll down to relive Meghan’s relationship with the royal matriarch through the years:
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September 2017
Meghan progressively met Harry’s family after the duo began dating in 2016. In September 2017, shortly after the couple returned from their vacation in Botswana and Zambia, the prince chose to bring his love to visit the queen. “It went well,” a source exclusively told Us after the pair’s meeting at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. “It’ll no doubt be the first of many encounters.”
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November 2017
Following the announcement of her engagement to Harry, Meghan recounted what it was like meeting the queen for the first time. “It’s incredible. I think 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, all of those layers have been so important for me,” she said during a BBC interview with Harry. “When I met her, I had such a deep understanding and, of course, incredible respect for being able to have that time with her, and she’s an incredible woman.”
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November 2017
“The corgis took to you straight away. For the last 33 years, I’ve been barked at, and this one walks in, absolutely nothing, just wagging tails,” Harry joked during a post-engagement interview about Meghan’s instant connection with his grandmother’s beloved pets. Meghan agreed, saying, “[They were] just laying on my feet during tea, it was very sweet.” The monarch seemingly connected with the actress’ beagle, Guy, who was spotted riding alongside Elizabeth in her car in May 2018.
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March 2018
“My Lords, I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle,” Her Majesty announced in a statement, officially giving Harry and Meghan her approval to tie the knot. “Which Consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council.”
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March 2018
The California native made her first public appearance with the queen at Westminster Abbey to celebrate Commonwealth Day. The duo sat among the rest of the British royal family as they took in the annual service.
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May 2018
Before marrying Prince Charles’ youngest son at St George’s Chapel in England, Meghan bonded with Elizabeth. “When it came to the tiara [I wore] on the day, I was very fortunate to be able to chose this gorgeous art deco style bandeau tiara,” Meghan said in video for a fall 2018 exhibit at Windsor Castle about the tiara, which belonged to Queen Mary. “Harry and I had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with Her Majesty the Queen to select one of the options that were there which was an incredibly surreal day as you can imagine.”
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June 2018
The ladies took their first solo trip together — without Harry or any other family member — to open the Mersey Gateway Bridge in Cheshire. “We had one of our first joint engagement together,” Meghan recalled during a March 2021 TV interview. “She asked me to join her and I was on the train … and we had breakfast together that morning.”
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May 2019
Days after Meghan’s first child, son Archie, was born, the queen was introduced to the little one. Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, was also on hand to welcome the baby into their family. Archie’s full name — Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor — pays homage to Philip’s side of the family, as Mountbatten was the surname of the late royal’s uncle Louis Mountbatten.
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January 2020
After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their plans to take a step back from their senior royal duties and “balance” their time between the U.K. and North America, the head of the Windsor family released a statement of her own.
“Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage,” the queen’s statement read. “We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
A source later told Us that Harry and Meghan made their statement “without the official blessing of the queen,” noting, “It’s not that they didn’t care — it was a miscommunication.” The tension between Meghan and her in-laws only grew after the couple moved to the U.S. in early 2020 with Archie.
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February 2021
One year after relocating to California — and not being able to visit Britain amid the COVID-19 pandemic — Meghan and Harry announced they were permanently leaving their royal life behind.
“While we are all saddened by their decision, the duke and duchess remain much-loved members of the family,” Elizabeth insisted in a statement released by the palace. However, the choice to remove themselves from their prior duties led to the queen taking back all “honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the duke and duchess” to be “redistributed among working members of the royal family.”
Royal expert Matthew Dennison later wrote about Elizabeth’s choice to stick by the monarchy during the uncomfortable pull of her grandson and his family leaving their posts. “Elizabeth’s official statement expressed loving finality: ‘It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life,’” the author explained in his book, The Queen, which was released in September 2021. “It was an attempt to reassert control in the interests of damage limitation, and a decisive but dark beginning to a new decade. Elizabeth had never been a sentimental woman; she had acted in the only way she understood.”
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March 2021
Despite revealing bombshell claims about The Firm and Harry’s family during the couple’s CBS tell-all interview, Meghan had nothing but nice things to say about the matriarch of the group. “The queen has always been wonderful to me. I’ve loved being in her company,” Meghan said, adding that the queen reminds her of her own grandmother. “She’s always been warm, welcoming and inviting.”
The duo, however, alleged that one family member expressed “concerns” about the color of Archie’s skin, which the crown denied, among other claims. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning,” the palace said in a statement following the explosive allegations. “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
Her Majesty, for her part, tried to “be understanding and see things from Harry’s perspective,” following the tell-all, a source told Us at the time, adding, “But the allegations he and Meghan have made are hard for her to digest. The interview has wreaked havoc on the royal family.” (The couple later confirmed that it wasn’t the queen who made the skin color remark.)
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March 2021
During the same tell-all special, Meghan gave fans a glimpse at her dynamic with the queen, revealing that she doesn’t hesitate to call Elizabeth. “I just picked up the phone and I called the Queen just to check in,” the Suits alum explained, noting that she made sure to speak with Elizabeth after news broke that Philip was hospitalized one month prior. “That’s what we do. It’s like being able to default to not having to every moment go, is that appropriate?”
When Philip died at age 99 in April 2021, Meghan was unable to travel to the service due to her pregnancy. Harry, however, made the trip solo and reunited with his family for the first time since the duo’s step back.
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June 2021
Harry and Meghan’s second child, daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on June 4, 2021. Her moniker is nod to the queen and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” the parents revealed via their foundation’s website. “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
Elizabeth, meanwhile, signed off on her great-granddaughter’s name, a source exclusively told Us. “It was important for them that the queen signed off though and that didn’t happen until right before the birth,” the insider said. “They both agreed it would only be right if Her Majesty gave her approval, especially with something so personal.”
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April 2022
Meghan briefly returned to England to see the queen as she and Harry traveled to the 2022 Invictus Games in the Netherlands. The twosome arrived at Windsor Castle for a partial family reunion. Prince William and Duchess Kate were not on hand to meet them. “Both Meghan and I had tea with her,” the former military pilot told Today’s Hoda Kotb of the trip. “It was really nice to catch up with her.”
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June 2022
The Sussexes arrived in London with their two children — the first time for daughter Lili — ahead of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. They were spotted watching the Trooping the Colour Parade on June 2 from the Major General’s office while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children took in the event from Buckingham Palace’s balcony with Her Majesty.
In May 2022, a palace spokesperson announced in a statement that “after careful consideration,” Elizabeth opted to limit the balcony guests to “those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen.” That meant that Harry and Meghan would not be beside her during the kickoff event.
However, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan told Us at the time that the duo were “excited and honored to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children.”
The duo joined the royal family on June 3 to attend the service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathderal. Buckingham Palace previously confirmed that the queen would skip the event after experiencing some discomfort at Trooping the Colour.
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June 2022
“Harry and Meghan visited the queen at Windsor Castle with Lilibet and Archie,” a source exclusively told Us in June 2022 amid the Sussex’s family trip to London for the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
While the monarch had to miss a few events due to her health, including the Party at the Palace, Elizabeth was able to see Meghan, Harry and Archie and meet the then 12-month-old Lili.
“Spending time with her great-grandchildren and seeing Lilibet turn 1 added some light to her day,” the insider explained at the time. “She thinks they’re adorable and gave Lili and Archie gifts.”
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September 2022
Following the queen’s death in September 2022, Meghan was one of the many family members who came to London and later Windsor, England, to pay tribute to Her Majesty. The podcast host was beside her husband during multiple outings that month as the royal family met with mourners ahead of the monarch’s September 19 funeral.
During the state service and procession at Westminster Abbey, Meghan arrived with Harry’s aunt, Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The California native paid homage to the late royal by wearing a pair of drop-pearl earrings that Elizabeth had gifted her in 2018. Meghan previously wore the earrings while attending the queen’s Westminster Hall service earlier that month.
“Meghan’s body language reflects deference to Queen Elizabeth,” body language expert Blanca Cobb exclusively told Us of the Suits alum after the funeral, noting that at times, her arms were “close to her side” and at other times, they were “slightly in front of her with her hands clasped in front of her lower abdomen, known as the fig leaf.”
Harry’s wife opted not to stand too close to her sister-in-law Princess Kate, which Cobb revealed could have been out of respect or wanting to give her “space” as they mourned the queen. “This particular moment of watching Queen Elizabeth’s coffin wasn’t the time to interact with anyone,” the Methods of the Masters author added. “It was a time to show deference to the Queen and Her Majesty’s funeral proceedings.”
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December 2022
Meghan recalled meeting the late royal for the first time in the couple’s Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan, comparing it to a full-on show. “My grandmother was the first senior member of the royal family that Meghan met,” Harry said during the second episode. “She had no idea what it all consisted of, so it was a bit of a shock to the system for her.”
Meghan remembered the moment as being “surreal” especially once she learned she had to curtsy for the queen. “There wasn’t some big moment of like, ‘And now you’re going to meet my grandmother,’” she recalled. “I remember being in the car and he was like, ‘you know how to curtsey right?’ and I just thought it was a joke.”
When the moment came, Meghan finally understood how “big” of a deal it was. “Americans will understand this, we have Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. It was like that,” she joked. “Like, I curtsied as if I was [bowing down to the floor]. … It was so intense. I didn’t know what I was doing.”
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December 2022
The “Archetypes” podcast host looked back on her solo June 2018 engagement with the queen during episode 4 of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan. “I treated her as my husband’s grandma,” she said of the late monarch. “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 got 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.’ And because I was so, so close with my grandmother and I took care of her in her final years. … It was such a good day. We laughed.”
