Prince Philip referred to Meghan Markle as Duchess of Windsor: 'too white'

From their initial meeting at Buckingham Palace, during a tea session, the Queen expressed her approval of Meghan Markle. More than just liking her, the Queen held optimistic expectations for what the American actress could accomplish alongside Harry for the youth of the Commonwealth.

The nation, as a whole, quickly embraced Meghan with genuine delight. However, one notable exception to this widespread positive reception was Prince Philip.

While the Queen continued to support Harry's newfound love, Prince Philip cautioned his wife to exercise caution. He found it uncanny, expressing to her the striking resemblance Meghanbore to the Duchess of Windsor.

His remark went beyond the surface similarities of both being pencil-slim, dark-haired, and glamorous American divorcees. There was a wealth of subtext in his pointed observation.

When she was just ten, Princess Elizabeth’s beloved father had suddenly become King, after Edward VIII — later the Duke of Windsor — abdicated for the sake of marrying Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

This caused a permanent rift in the royal family: the new King George VI refused to receive her and denied her the appellation of Her Royal Highness. For her part, the American duchess openly mocked the Queen (later Queen Mother) as ‘the fat Scotch cook’.

As for Prince Philip, he never appeared to change his mind about Meghan. From the moment he detected her apparent similarity to Wallis, he referred to her as DoW (short for Duchess of Windsor).

Queen Elizabeth II never voiced her true opinion about Harry’s wife except to her very closest confidantes, such as Lady Elizabeth Anson, or Liza as she was known to her friends. A cousin of the Queen, she used to speak on the telephone to the monarch daily.

Lady Elizabeth told me that the Queen had made only one remark to her about Meghan and Harry’s wedding, which was that the bride’s Givenchy wedding gown was ‘too white’.