Meghan Markle Knew 'How to Butter Up the Queen'

Meghan Markle "knew exactly how to butter up" Queen Elizabeth II and would regularly call her—unlike the monarch's children—according to a royal biographer.

Ingrid Seward's new book My Mother and I charts King Charles III's relationship with his mother but also made waves when it came out in February with its account of how Queen Elizabeth II felt Meghan's wedding dress was "too white."

However, it also painted a picture of a monarch who liked her American granddaughter-in-law despite the rift between the Sussexes and the palace.

Seward told Newsweek: "I was so surprised when I heard the queen liked Meghan but she did. Meghan's a smart lady whatever people think of her.

"She knew exactly how to butter up the queen. Even Harry gave us a little glimpse of it by the dogs."

Prince Harry told Meghan during their engagement interview in November 2017 that "the corgis took to you straight away," while the duchess added they were "just laying on my feet during tea, it was very sweet."

"Maybe she had a few treats in her handbag for them," Seward said. "Harry actually said Meghan was a great hit with the dogs. They always yap at him but they were all over Meghan.

"I don't think that the queen actually saw very much of them. Meghan being American used to ring her up, which a lot of her children don't do.

"I think she kept in touch with her because she knew it was important and then she met Meghan's [mother]."

Doria Ragland was the only member of Meghan's family at her wedding and met the queen at the time.

Harry and Meghan also impressed Elizabeth with their roles as president and vice president of her charity the Queen's Commonwealth Trust.

"The queen had these very high hopes for the Commonwealth," Seward said, "because remember the Commonwealth was the queen's baby.

"It was so important to her and she saw them as absolutely bringing a bit of modernity and youth into the Commonwealth and she was right actually. And they were made ambassadors.

"When things started to unravel she saw that unraveling too and she was very upset. Eventually, she felt a little bit like we all did: 'what do they want, this couple? They've got everything but it's not enough.'

"They had a new house, they had a new baby, they had a lot of people thinking how wonderful they were and yet it wasn't enough."

Beyond the Sussexes, Seward backed Prince William's recent comments on Israel and Gaza even though they were a long way from the queen's more neutral approach to diplomacy.

"I actually don't knock William for saying it," she said. "It was obviously very carefully worded, he went through it with the government, he went through it with his advisors. And we know that William is quite wilful.

"He obviously felt very strongly about it and felt that this needs to be said. 'Pa can't say it can he because he's head of state and he's the monarch but I can just about get away with saying it and I'm going to.'

"I'm sure there were people who told him it wasn't a good idea but also others who told him if you're going to do it let's do it right."

While Charles has also at times taken a different approach from his mother, Seward said there was also much the new king learned from his predecessor.

"The thing that just wipes everyone aside is his incredible dedication to duty which he, had from such a young age," she said. "Charles loved the way his mother could look at things and if there was nothing she could do about something she would just 'there's nothing we can do' and she'd get on with it.

"She would compartmentalize. They all do that. Charles does that too I'm afraid. I think he's probably done that with Harry at the moment. He hasn't got time to worry about Harry."

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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