Meghan Markle's 'true feelings' towards Queen Elizabeth II revealed in engagement interview
A body language expert analysed Meghan and Harry's 2017 engagement interview
As the anniversary of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement approaches, new insight has emerged into the duchess’ real feelings about Queen Elizabeth II.
According to a body language expert, her admiration for the late monarch was clear from the very beginning.
Speaking to Royal Insider on behalf of OLBG, body language expert Inbaal Honigman analysed Meghan and Harry’s 2017 engagement interview and shared her interpretation of the duchess’ subtle but telling body language.
The interview aired in November 2017, months before their May 2018 wedding.
Meghan Markle’s ‘feelings about Queen Elizabeth II’ in engagement interview
“When Meghan is asked whether she’s met the queen, she confirms while at the same time lowering her eyes,” Honigman noted.
“When she looks downwards, it’s a sign of shyness and reverence. It shows that she looks up to the late queen. She doesn’t take for granted the privilege and opportunity of meeting a monarch and a living legend.”
Honigman also pointed to Meghan’s reaction when asked about Prince Harry’s relationship with his grandmother.
She doesn’t take for granted the privilege and opportunity of meeting a monarch and a living legend.
She explained: “Her single shoulder shrug says ‘but obviously’. It means that when she thinks of their bond, she finds it natural that they should have such a positive relationship. In that moment, she doesn’t see the queen as the Head of State but as her future grandmother-in-law.”
During their 2017 BBC interview, filmed just after announcing their engagement, Meghan and Harry opened up about their relationship, the proposal, and, notably, Meghan’s first meeting with Queen Elizabeth II.
“It was a cosy night,” Meghan recalled of the moment Harry proposed. “We were roasting chicken. It was just an amazing surprise. It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got down on one knee.”
The couple also revealed that Meghan had met the queen a couple of times by then, and that Her Majesty’s famous corgis immediately warmed to her.
“They were laying on my feet during tea!” Meghan laughed. “It’s incredible. To be able to meet her through [Harry’s] lens, not just with his honour and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother. She’s an incredible woman.”
Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II’s sweet bond
Although much has changed in the years since that interview, including Harry and Meghan stepping down as senior royals, and the queen’s passing in 2022, one thing that has remained consistent is Meghan’s public respect for the late monarch.
When Meghan sat down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, she clarified: “The queen has always been wonderful to me.”
She also shared a memory from their only solo outing together, describing how the queen once offered her a shared blanket in a car between royal engagements.
“It made me think of my grandmother,” Meghan said. “She’s always been warm and inviting and really welcoming.”
After Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, Meghan paid tribute once again, calling Her Majesty “the most shining example” of female leadership, and said she was grateful for the time they spent together.
Read more: Prince Philip’s savage ‘reaction’ to Prince Harry’s engagement to Meghan Markle
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