The royal who taught Meghan Markle to curtsey a few minutes before meeting the Queen
Meghan Markle has revealed the royal family member who showed her how to curtsey before she met the Queen
Meghan Markle has revealed how one unlikely royal prepared her for meeting the Queen - by teaching her how to curtsey.
- Meghan Markle has revealed that Sarah Ferguson taught her how to curtsey just minutes before meeting the Queen for the first time.
- The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah that she didn't know she had to greet the Queen in this manner, having never researched the royal family before her relationship with Harry.
- In other Royal News, Meghan Markle’s heartbreaking ‘one regret’ after leaving the Royal Family has been revealed.
Meghan Markle has revealed the royal celebrity who taught her a valuable skill required for meeting the Queen - how to curtsey.
During her CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess of Sussex recalled Sarah Ferguson showing her how to perform the traditional greeting just moments before she was introduced to Her Majesty in 2016.
Meghan admitted that she was shocked when Prince Harry explained the protocol to her, adding that she ‘didn’t even know how to curtsey’ at the time. She went on to reflect on her naivety to royal customs before meeting the Queen, having been raised in a completely different culture in the US. “I grew up in LA, I see celebrities all the time. It's not the same. This is a completely different ball game,” she said.
Luckily, she had a good mentor to demonstrate the all-important gesture last minute. Sarah Ferguson, who was married to Prince Andrew for ten years, came to the duchess's aid right before the big meeting.
“Right in front of the house we practiced and ran in. Fergie ran out and said, "Do you know how to curtsey?’” Meghan recalled.
The Queen’s former daughter-in-law has long been open about her experience with the British monarchy, even telling Oprah that being part of the royal family was ‘no fairytale’ following her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996.
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Meghan revealed she can’t fully remember the details of the meeting but said others commented that she ‘did a very deep curtsey.’
The duchess also acknowledged that she was ignorant of royal life prior to her relationship with Harry. “I went into it naively because I didn't grow up knowing much about the royal family. I didn't fully understand what the job was,” she said.
She admits, however, that she is grateful for this naivety because had she known of what royal life entailed, it might have impacted her mental health even more. “Thank God I didn't know about the family, thank God I didn't research, I would have been so in my head about it,” she said.
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.
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