Meghan: I just pick up the phone and I call the Queen – just to check in

The Duchess of Sussex recalled the first time she met the Queen, describing it as ‘lovely and easyl.
Meghan at a royal engagement with the Queen
PA Archive
Pa Reporters8 March 2021

The Duchess of Sussex said she phones the Queen “just to check in”.

Meghan suggested that stepping down as working royals meant she and Harry did not have to follow royal protocols and could react to family events, like anyone else.

During her interview with Oprah Winfrey, she recalled the first time she met the Queen, describing it as “lovely and easy”.

Royal visit to Cheshire
PA Archive

Meghan said when the Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to hospital: “I just pick up the phone and I call the Queen – just to check in.

“That’s what we do, it’s like being able to default to not having to every moment go ‘Is that appropriate?’.”

Meghan told Winfrey that “everyone welcomed” her to the royal set-up.

She said the Queen gave her “some beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace” for the pair’s first joint engagement together, and that the monarch also shared her blanket while travelling together between visits.

Princess Eugenie wedding
PA Archive

Meghan said the first time she met the Queen at a lunch at Royal Lodge, Windsor, Harry asked her if she knew how to curtsey.

She said: “I remember Harry and I were in the car and he said ‘My grandmother is going to be there so you are going to meet her.’

“I said ‘Great’

“He said ‘Do you know how to curtsey?’

“I didn’t think it’s what happened inside.

“I said ‘It’s your grandmother.’

“He said ‘It’s the Queen.’

“That was the first moment that the penny dropped.”

Meghan said she and Harry then practised curtseying before meeting the Queen.

She told Winfrey: “We sat there and we just chatted. And it was lovely and easy.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in