Amongst the many subjects up for discussion during Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey (which will air in the UK tonight on ITV), the Duchess spoke very highly of the Queen and recalled their first official royal engagement together.
Recounting the event that took place shortly after she married Harry, Meghan said that Her Majesty was "wonderful" to her, and gifted her a "beautiful" pair of pearl earrings, complete with a matching necklace, as well as offering to share a blanket with her while travelling together. The pair journeyed together on the British Royal Train and opened the Mersey Gateway Bridge, back in June 2018.
"The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me," the Duchess told Oprah, when discussing her entry into the world of royal work. "I mean, we had one of our first joint engagements together. She asked me to join her."
Meghan continued to heap praise on Her Royal Highness, adding, "We had breakfast together that morning and she'd given me a beautiful gift, and I just really loved being in her company. And I remember we were in the car, she gave me some beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace."
Further expanding on how The Queen initially made her feel so welcome, Meghan said, "We were in the car going between engagements, and she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth and it was chilly... and she was like, 'Meghan, come on,' and put it over my knees, as well." To this, Oprah replied, "Nice."
Meghan then continued, "Right? Just moments of… and it made me think of my grandmother where she's always been warm and inviting and really welcoming."
Everyone's clicking on...
The Duchess also wanted to stress that the royal family themselves are quite different to those who are running the institution. "There's the family and then there's the people that are running the institution – those are two separate things, and it's important to be able to compartmentalise that."
During the interview, it was also revealed that the Sussexes called Her Majesty after hearing the news that Prince Philip had been admitted to hospital.
CBS Presents Oprah with Meghan and Harry will air on ITV at 9pm tonight and on ITV Hub, Courtesy of Harpo Productions/CBS.
Cosmopolitan UK's current issue is out now and you can SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
