Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, had expressed concerns about Meghan Markle when she first entered the royal scene, issuing a warning to Queen Elizabeth II about the former 'Suits' star, according to royal author Ingrid Seward. In her book 'My Mother and I', Seward reveals that while the Queen initially championed Harry's new love, Philip was "wary" of succumbing to Markle's charm offensive.
"Queen Elizabeth II was perfectly aware of what Philip meant when he drew parallels between Meghan and Wallis," Seward writes, referring to Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who married King Edward VIII, leading to his abdication in 1936. "Indeed, much later, she would remark in her clipped way that perhaps Harry had been 'too in love' with the American actress."
Seward further divulged that Prince Philip had a nickname for Meghan based on her similarities with Wallis Simpson, though he never shared it with her directly or uttered it in her presence. "I think Prince Philip was very canny about people and he didn't always see the bad in them, he tried to see the good in them," Seward remarked during an interview with GB News. "I think he just couldn't get away from the fact [of the] similarities between Meghan and Harry and Edward and Mrs Simpson."
The royal commentator added, "There are so many similarities which is why he used to call her The Duchess of Windsor, I mean not to her face. We used to call her dow - DoW [the abbreviation for Duchess of Windsor]."
Since stepping back from their royal duties in January 2020, Meghan and Harry have made their home in California with their two children. While Harry is set to visit the UK next month to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, it is believed that Meghan will remain in the US due to safety concerns and a desire to avoid attracting 'drama' by visiting the UK.
Charles Rae, former royal correspondent for The Sun, has expressed doubts about Meghan ever returning to the UK, stating, "I'm of the opinion that Megan won't set foot in the UK ever again. I just don't think she wants her to have anything to do at all with this country."
Rae suggests that Meghan may have misunderstood the hierarchy within the royal family, saying, "I don't believe that she understood the pecking order of the royal family. You've got the monarch, you've got the Prince of Wales And then you've got everyone else under that. She wanted to be the star and that I think it was that simple that she thought. She just picked up her toys and decided to go off to America."
British commentator Esther Krakue also weighed in on the rumors of Meghan accompanying Harry on his upcoming UK trip, suggesting that the Duchess may be avoiding the country to steer clear of the drama and focus on the royal family. "I personally think she's not going to come because, obviously, Harry has lost his case with the Home Office and he said he doesn't feel safe bringing his family over [to the UK] and I also think this is going to be a time where distance between the Sussexes and the Royal Family will be calcified because the focus will obviously be on the Princess of Wales and the King recovering, they don't need the whole Netflix drama," Krakue said on GB News.
