Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, may be on very favored terms with the Queen now, but the pair got off to a rocky start, according to new biography of Prince Charles.
Writing in Charles At Seventy: Thoughts, Hopes and Dreams, respected royal journalist Robert Jobson reveals that when the duo made their first outing together in Chester on June 14, Meghan made a wrong step that raised royal eyebrows.
According to the book, senior aids had advised Meghan that Mer Majesty would be wearing a green hat, in respect for victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster, and she was told she should also wear an appropriate hat. Meghan apparently declined – a move that placed her on very thin ice, and reportedly left the Queen ‘baffled.’
‘I don’t think the Duchess fully understood,’ a very senior royal figure told Jobson. ‘This was not a request. They are for others to make, not the Queen.’
Seemingly contradicting royal aids’ reported perceptions of tension, photos from the day show the pair enjoying what appeared to be an easy rapport – and a lot of laughter. Indeed, Her Majesty is said to have formed a positive impression of Meghan and maintains a strong interest in her performance in public roles.
According to the book, the two are said to have bonded over their shared interest in dogs.
Royal observers say that senior royals are keen to make allowances for Meghan, following the disastrous experiences of Princess Diana and Sarah, Duchess of York, both of whom at times felt persecuted by the palace and stifled by its baffling array of archaic rules.
Now it remains to be seen if Meghan’s next outing with Her Majesty will be preceded by a visit to the milliners.
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