Meghan Markle reveals Queen's kind gesture during first official joint engagement

Meghan Markle has revealed how Queen Elizabeth II comforted her in their shared car

Meghan Markle reveals Queen's kind gesture during first official joint engagement
(Image credit: Getty)

Meghan Markle has revealed the sweet way the Queen comforted her during their first royal engagement together, calling the experience "such a good day." 


Meghan Markle has shared a sweet story about her relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II in her new Netflix docuseries with her husband, Prince Harry. 

The 41-year-old royal reflects on her first-ever joint engagement with Her Majesty in the fourth episode of the record-breaking Harry & Meghan, calling the experience "such a good day." 

The special outing took place in June 2018, less than a month after she married into the Royal Family and officially became the Duchess of Sussex. As part of their jam-packed schedule, the Queen and Meghan traveled to Northern England to open the Mersey Gateway Bridge and Chester's Storyhouse Theatre. 

The VIP duo then completed a walkabout before enjoying a three-course luncheon at Chester Hall. It was Meghan's private moments with the Queen, however, that truly left an impact on the American newlywed. 

Queen and Meghan

(Image credit: Getty)

"When we got into the car in between engagements she had a blanket and she put it over my knees and we were sitting in this car with this blanket," Meghan says. 

It was during this sweet exchange when Meghan found herself overcome with gratitude for the presence of Her Majesty. She recalls thinking, "I recognize and respect and see that you’re the Queen, but in this moment I’m so grateful that there is a grandmother figure because that feels like family." 

Meghan also explains that she treated Her Majesty "as my husband’s grandma" while also "knowing that of course there has to be a completely different sense of propriety in public." She goes on to describe her debut outing with the Queen as "such a good day", adding, "We laughed" as her final snippet. 

Queen

(Image credit: Getty)

On that same day, the Queen and Meghan observed a national moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The royal engagement fell on the one-year anniversary of the deadly London fire, which killed 72 people and left over 70 injured. 

Meghan also spoke about her relationship with her paternal grandmother, Doris May Rita Sanders, revealing that she was "so, so close" to her. The duchess even said that she had taken care of her grandma before she died in 2011 at the age of 91. At the time, Meghan was newly married to her first husband, Trevor Engelson, and had just landed the role of Rachel Zane on the NBC drama, Suits

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.