The photo proof was already there, but now a report from Entertainment Tonight confirms it: Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II are quickly becoming very close best friends. When Meghan did her latest event with the Queen yesterday—her third since the wedding—Meghan wasn't nervous, a royal source said. 'Last night she was completely at ease with the queen,' the source explained. 'She has developed an increasingly close, warm relationship with [both] the queen and her father-in-law, Prince Charles. She wants to please them and is doing whatever she can to educate herself to make sure she doesn't put a foot wrong.'
Prince Charles has gotten so close to Meghan, he reportedly has an odd but affectionate nickname for her: Tungsten. Meanwhile, Meghan got to ride the Queen's royal train for her first solo event with Elizabeth (a privilege neither her husband Prince Harry, sister-in-law Kate Middleton, nor brother-in-law Prince William have had), attended Royal Ascot with the Queen, and sat with her and Harry at the Queen's Young Leaders Awards last night.
Get ready to see a lot more Meghan at events, the source continued. The new Duchess of Sussex "[will be spending] a great deal of time in the coming months" representing the family at royal engagements. They are so far "impressed" with her and her genuine desire to be so involved in charity projects.
Meghan has been secretly meeting with charities. 'Gender equality, girls education, gay rights and human rights, which were the focus of her work as a UN advocate and a representative for the One World Foundation, will be themes to be prominently featured in her future work,' the source told ET.
The source echoes what royal expert Omid Scobie told ELLE.com earlier: that Meghan has already quietly been working on projects. 'She has been quietly working on a project that will be announced later this year,' Scobie said. 'Meghan’s first solo engagements will see her visiting a number of small charities and grass roots organisations across the UK as she continues to decide what her first patronage will be. We know that she’s a keen feminist, it’s written in her official bio on the official Royal Family website—a first!—and she’s interested in issues that affect youth in the UK, such as gang culture.'
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
