Joining the royals. Amid Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s early courtship, she impressed his regal family members — including his father, King Charles III.
The Duke of Sussex introduced his father — who succeeded Queen Elizabeth II as monarch in September 2022 — to the Suits alum in November 2016 after nearly five months together.
“I’d call the visit a coming-out party,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time, noting the then-dating couple attended a birthday bash for Harry at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. “It would have been the first time some of his close friends got to meet her. It’s been important for Harry to introduce Meghan to the people he cares about.”
Harry and Meghan eventually got engaged nearly one year later at their Nottingham Cottage residence.
“I wanted to do it earlier, because I had to ask permission from my grandmother, [Queen Elizabeth II],” the Invictus Games cofounder recalled of his proposal during the second episode of the couple’s Harry & Meghan docuseries, which premiered in December 2022. “I couldn’t do it outside of the U.K.”
He added: “I did pop a bottle of champagne while she was roasting the chicken, and that kind of slightly gave the game away. She was like, ‘You don’t drink champagne, what’s the occasion?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, just had it lying around, whatever.’”
Ahead of Harry and the Duchess of Sussex’s royal wedding, news broke that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, would not attend the big day or walk his daughter down the aisle. (The former lighting director had been accused of staging paparazzi photos weeks before the ceremony.) Instead, Meghan asked the former Prince of Wales to escort her to the altar.
“Prince Charles was very touched to be asked by Meghan to walk her down the aisle and he is very much looking forward to welcoming her into the family,” a Buckingham Palace source exclusively told Us in May 2018. “There is a real growing affection between Charles, [Queen Consort] Camilla and Meghan, which of course extends to Doria [Ragland, her mother] too.”
Charles — who even nicknamed Meghan ‘Tungsten’ for her toughness — and the California native eventually hit a rough patch after she and Harry decided to take a step back from their roles as senior working royals. A source told Us in January 2020 that the British sovereign was “livid” with his youngest son — whom he shared with the late Princess Diana — over the decision.
Harry and Meghan eventually settled in Montecito, California, where they are raising their children: son Archie, born in 2019, and daughter Lilibet, born in 2021. The married couple have also started several joint business ventures, including their Archewell foundation and inked production deals with Netflix and Spotify.
After the couple’s move, the Spare author alleged in their joint March 2021 CBS interview that his father had financially cut them off and stopped speaking to them. After years of distance, the king offered an olive branch to Harry and Meghan in his first speech as the reigning monarch.
“I think the king has made it very clear that he wants to heal the rift. Family dynamics, of course, are always complicated, but I think we can all see that there’s a great deal of pain,” royal expect Gareth Russell exclusively told Us in September 2022 of Charles offering his “love” to the couple amid their overseas life. “The king, even when he was Prince of Wales, I think has made it very clear that he would, he would like a better relationship with the Duke of Sussex. So let’s hope that the olive branch is something that works.”
Harry and Meghan attended the queen’s state funeral later that month, where they were seated directly behind Charles and Camilla.
Scroll below for Meghan’s relationship with her father-in-law, Charles:
Joining the royals. Amid Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s early courtship, she impressed his regal family members — including his father, King Charles III.
The Duke of Sussex introduced his father — who succeeded Queen Elizabeth II as monarch in September 2022 — to the Suits alum in November 2016 after nearly five months together.
“I’d call the visit a coming-out party,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time, noting the then-dating couple attended a birthday bash for Harry at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. “It would have been the first time some of his close friends got to meet her. It’s been important for Harry to introduce Meghan to the people he cares about.”
Harry and Meghan eventually got engaged nearly one year later at their Nottingham Cottage residence.
“I wanted to do it earlier, because I had to ask permission from my grandmother, [Queen Elizabeth II],” the Invictus Games cofounder recalled of his proposal during the second episode of the couple’s Harry & Meghan docuseries, which premiered in December 2022. “I couldn’t do it outside of the U.K.”
He added: “I did pop a bottle of champagne while she was roasting the chicken, and that kind of slightly gave the game away. She was like, ‘You don’t drink champagne, what’s the occasion?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, just had it lying around, whatever.’”
Ahead of Harry and the Duchess of Sussex’s royal wedding, news broke that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, would not attend the big day or walk his daughter down the aisle. (The former lighting director had been accused of staging paparazzi photos weeks before the ceremony.) Instead, Meghan asked the former Prince of Wales to escort her to the altar.
“Prince Charles was very touched to be asked by Meghan to walk her down the aisle and he is very much looking forward to welcoming her into the family,” a Buckingham Palace source exclusively told Us in May 2018. “There is a real growing affection between Charles, [Queen Consort] Camilla and Meghan, which of course extends to Doria [Ragland, her mother] too.”
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Charles — who even nicknamed Meghan ‘Tungsten’ for her toughness — and the California native eventually hit a rough patch after she and Harry decided to take a step back from their roles as senior working royals. A source told Us in January 2020 that the British sovereign was “livid” with his youngest son — whom he shared with the late Princess Diana — over the decision.
Harry and Meghan eventually settled in Montecito, California, where they are raising their children: son Archie, born in 2019, and daughter Lilibet, born in 2021. The married couple have also started several joint business ventures, including their Archewell foundation and inked production deals with Netflix and Spotify.
After the couple’s move, the Spare author alleged in their joint March 2021 CBS interview that his father had financially cut them off and stopped speaking to them. After years of distance, the king offered an olive branch to Harry and Meghan in his first speech as the reigning monarch.
“I think the king has made it very clear that he wants to heal the rift. Family dynamics, of course, are always complicated, but I think we can all see that there’s a great deal of pain,” royal expect Gareth Russell exclusively told Us in September 2022 of Charles offering his “love” to the couple amid their overseas life. “The king, even when he was Prince of Wales, I think has made it very clear that he would, he would like a better relationship with the Duke of Sussex. So let’s hope that the olive branch is something that works.”
Harry and Meghan attended the queen’s state funeral later that month, where they were seated directly behind Charles and Camilla.
Scroll below for Meghan’s relationship with her father-in-law, Charles:
Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock
November 2016
To celebrate the BetterUp CIO’s 32nd birthday, Meghan joined her man and his family at a hunting party at Balmoral.
Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock
November 2017
“We’re both thrilled,” Charles and Camilla, whom he wed in 2005, said in a statement released after news broke of Harry and Meghan’s engagement. “We hope they’ll be very happy indeed.”
Credit: Shutterstock
May 2018
The former Duke of Cornwall walked the When Sparks Fly star down the aisle at St Georges Chapel before she said her vows to Harry.
Credit: Shutterstock
November 2018
Several months after the wedding, Harry recalled Charles’ initial reaction to walking the former Hallmark actress down the aisle.
“I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming and he immediately said, ‘Yes, of course. I’ll do whatever Meghan needs and I’m here to support you,’” the military veteran said in the BBC One documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70. “For him, that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support. He’s our father, so of course, he’s gonna be there for us. I was very grateful for him to be able to do that.”
Credit: Shutterstock (2)
October 2020
After Harry and Meghan left the U.K. for Canada, their bond with Charles dissipated.
“Harry had been talking to his father and brother [Prince William],” royal expert Robert Lacey told Us in October. “Saying, ‘Look, we’ve come to the conclusion we quite like Canada. We’d like [to be] on the side of the Atlantic. We think we want to stay here for a bit, but we think we can still say royal.’”
Lacey added: “It was sort of offhand. They didn’t quite believe they were serious. It’s [like], ‘Put it down on writing paper or chap, you know, sends us an email and we’ll think about it.’ And we know this cause Harry himself and the other palaces have agreed that, like, this must have happened.”
Credit: Samir Hussein/Pool/Shutterstock; Shutterstock
June 2021
After Meghan gave birth to daughter Lili (named for the late queen and Diana), Charles was thrilled about the latest addition.
“The development of technology like electric vehicles … is vital for maintaining the health of our world for future generations, something I am only too aware of today, having recently become a grandfather for the fifth time,” Charles said during a tour of the BMW Mini factory several days after Lili’s arrival. “Such happy news really does remind one of the necessity of continued innovation in this area — especially around sustainable battery technology — in view of the legacy we bequeath to our grandchildren.”
Credit: Shutterstock(2)
April 2022
According to royal author Tom Quinn, Charles is open to mending his relationship with Harry and the Bench author. “Prince Charles is, by nature, a very shy man and likes to [be by] himself. That doesn’t mean he’s uncaring it, he just finds demonstration or emotional display … [to be] really difficult,” he told Us.
Credit: Shutterstock; Matthew Horwood/WPA Pool/Shutterstock
August 2022
The “Archetypes” podcast host compared her estranged relationship with dad Thomas to Harry’s rift with Charles in an interview with The Cut. “Harry said to me, ‘I lost my dad in this process.’ It doesn’t have to be the same for them as it was for me, but that’s his decision,” she said at the time.
Meghan’s rep later clarified that the duchess was speaking about Thomas and not Charles.
Credit: Yui Mok/AP/Shutterstock
September 2022
“I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas,” Charles said in his first speech as monarch, giving the twosome a subtle nod before revealing that William would inherit his former titles.
Credit: Shutterstock (2)
October 2022
Prior to Netflix’s Harry & Meghan premiere, a source told Us in October that the Archewell cofounders had agreed to “soften” their coverage of Charles following the queen’s death at age 96.
Credit: Paul Grover/Pool/Shutterstock/Shutterstock
December 2022
During an episode of Harry & Meghan, the duchess recalled asking Charles to walk her down the aisle for her May 2018 wedding.
“Harry’s dad is very charming. And … I said to him, like, ‘I’ve lost my dad in this.’ So, him as my father-in-law was really important to me,” the Suits alum said in the fourth episode. “I asked him to walk me down the aisle and he said yes. The whole thing was surreal. It was at that moment, I could also see H.”
Harry, for his part, further noted that his father had been instrumental in helping the couple choose — and secure — their ceremony musicians.
Miranda Siwak
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