Meghan Markle demonstrated that she was “confident and independent,” rather than a “blushing bride,” with a four-word response to Prince Charles that caught him off guard.
With the Duchess of Sussex’s May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry looming, Meghan’s father Thomas unable to attend, and air force veteran uncle Michael denied an invitation, the Prince of Wales offered to walk her down the aisle of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
According to a new biography of The Queen by Robert Hardman, which is being serialised on MailOnline, her response was not what he expected: “Can we meet halfway?” she asked.
The response “was an indicator that this was no blushing bride, but a confident, independent woman determined to make a grand entrance on her own”, the author notes.
The signs were very positive leading up to the Royal Wedding; the couple was excited about their role in the context of the Commonwealth.
The Queen’s appointment of Harry as her Commonwealth Youth ambassador, as well as Meghan’s accompanying him to the 2018 Commonwealth Youth Summit, demonstrated her trust in both of them.
A month later, as Meghan walked down the aisle, her 16-foot veil featured hand-stitched detail depicting the flowers of each Commonwealth nation in homage to The Queen’s Coronation gown.
Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, had flown from California and was the only member of her family present.
Thomas did not attend saying he wanted to spare the couple any embarrassment after an incident which saw him pose for paparazzi pictures as he prepared for the big day.
It was unclear why Michael, a US air force veteran and diplomat who had once secured her an internship at the US embassy in Argentina, was not invited.
However, “the dynamics of her family certainly eclipsed the usual criticisms about the Royal Family being dysfunctional,” Mr Hardman adds.
The Queen also knew the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would not return to royal life as soon as she learned they had left with their dogs in tow, according to the book.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their intention to leave the royal family in 2020, they stunned the world.
