Here's What Meghan And Harry Said About The Queen In Their Oprah Interview
“The Queen has always been wonderful to me.”
Tonight, we finally got to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's side of the story in their hotly anticipated Oprah interview — just over a year post-"Megxit."
If you're anything like me, one of the things you might have been particularly curious about is what the couple's relationship is like with the head honcho, the gal with the crown, the lady on the pound notes: Queen Elizabeth II.
Every time Harry calls her "Grandma," I do a double take.
Near the beginning of the interview, Meghan described the first time she met the Queen and said, “There wasn’t actually a huge formality the first time I met her Majesty, the Queen.”
The Queen joined Harry and Meghan after a church service. She was apparently one of the first members of the family that Meghan met.
“My grandmother’s there, so you’re going to meet her,” Harry told Meghan. In return, she said, "Oh great, I loved my grandmother. I used to take care of my grandmother. This is great!” And then Harry asked her if she knew how to curtsy.
The two then practiced curtsying outside.
Meghan said of this first meeting that it was “lovely and easy. And thank god I hadn’t known a lot about the family. Thank god I hadn’t researched. I would have been so in my head about it.”
Meghan called it a “completely different board game” to meeting a celebrity and that she didn't initially understand the formalities that went along with interacting with her — even when they were in private.
Meghan also spoke about her first solo outing with the Queen fondly, when they went on the royal train in 2018, and Meghan said, “I really loved being in her company.”
Meghan and the Queen got breakfast beforehand. The Queen gifted her some pearl earrings and a matching necklace, and even shared her blanket with her when she was chilly in the car.
Indeed, one of the things consistent throughout the interview is that Meghan and Harry talked about how positive their relationship has been with the Queen, even if their overall experience with the Institution of the royal family has been rife with problems.
Meghan even explicitly said, “The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me.”
And Meghan mentioned calling the Queen after the news that Philip was in the hospital.
Harry was keen to clarify that the Queen was not blindsided by their decision to step back from the royal family and was told plenty of times beforehand.
“I’ve never blindsided my grandmother. I have too much respect for her," Harry told Oprah.
Although Harry did say he was "hurt" by the Queen's decision to remove all royal patronages and honorary military titles.
However, he clarified that the decision was not motivated by the Oprah interview. "At the same time, I completely respect my grandmother's decision," he added.
In fact, Harry made it seem like his relationship with the Queen is pretty good right now: “I’ve spoken to my grandmother more this past year than I have in many years.”
