How Meghan Markle Really Feels About Each of Her Royal In-Laws 》

Meghan Markle has had a complex relationship with royalty. At first, she was ecstatic to become part of the British royal family by marrying Prince Harry. But it didn’t take long for the paparazzi to tear her down, all while she tried to navigate the complex rules of royal life.

As for her royal in-laws, some of them were accepting and helpful. And some of them might as well be her most bitter enemies! How well does Meghan get along with the British royal family? Here’s how Meghan Markle really feels about each of her royal in-laws.

Prince William

We know that Meghan still gets along great with her husband Prince Harry. But how well does she get on with Harry’s brother Prince William? Honestly, it’s pretty complex!

According to the book Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, Meghan was nervous to meet William. But when she did, they got “along so well.”

Still, William was privately concerned that Harry and Meghan’s relationship was moving too fast, and told Harry so. This drove a wedge between the brothers, and the relationship between William and Meghan remains distant.

Prince Charles

Aside from the Queen herself, Prince Charles is the primary living embodiment of royal protocol and tradition. Which is why it was so refreshing that he bonded with Meghan almost right away.

Meghan wanted to fit in and learn more about those royal traditions, and she ended up turning to Prince Charles. As one insider told the Daily Mail, Charles “has been delighted to impart his knowledge,” and he and Meghan eventually developed a “close bond” with one another.

That’s more than we can say about her relationship with Kate Middleton, though!

Kate Middleton

It seems there is a new headline each week about feuding between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton. But is there really bad blood between these two women?

Finding Freedom is all about giving us the real dish on the royal family. And the authors concluded that Meghan and Kate have a “cordial but distant rapport.”

The book claims that Kate felt she and Meghan had nothing in common. And it says, “Meghan was disappointed that she and Kate hadn’t bonded over the position they shared, but she wasn’t losing sleep over it.”

In other words, they aren’t exactly tearing each other’s hair out in catfights. But Kate and Meghan don’t really have an affinity for each other, leading to some awkward public moments between them.

Camilla Parker-Bowles

We know that Meghan struck a real chord with father-in-law Prince Charles. But how well does she get along with Camilla Parker Bowles, her stepmother-in-law?

As it turns out, they get along quite nicely. They have more in common than you may think. After all, Camilla herself has a lot of experience with overwhelming publicity and negative press.

A friend of Meghan’s told The Mail, “Meg was really grateful to Camilla who was very supportive and invited her out for private lunches, particularly around the time of her marriage.”

The insider added, “[Camilla] was very sensitive to Meghan and provided her with support, advising her to ride out the storm and that it would pass.”

Considering the storm eventually sent Meghan and Harry packing to America, we’re not sure about that last part. Especially when you hear what happened between Meghan and Prince Philip.

Prince Philip

Some of Meghan’s royal relationships are static and unchanging. Others have changed over time, and not always for the better.

That’s the case with Prince Harry’s grandfather Prince Philip. At first, he took a liking to Meghan and even made sure to attend the royal wedding, despite the fact he was recovering from a hip operation.

But according to the book Prince Philip Revealed by Ingrid Seward, Philip was angry about Meghan and Harry’s decision to step down from their royal duties.

Seward writes, “For Philip, whose entire existence has been based on a devotion to doing his duty, it appeared that his grandson had abdicated… for the sake of his marriage to an American divorcée in much the same way as Edward VIII gave up his crown to marry Wallis Simpson in 1936.”

You don’t exactly have to be a scholar of British history to know that this is not a happy comparison. After Harry and Meghan’s decision to step down, it has been reported that their relationship with Prince Philip has suffered as a result.

Queen Elizabeth II

All members of the royal family are people of great importance, but some are more important than others. With that in mind, the big question is this: how well does Meghan get along with Queen Elizabeth?

It’s been reported that their initial relationship was very positive. Author Robert Lacey told SheKnows, “Whenever [the Queen’s] been with Meghan, she’s exhibiting the most cordial, outgoing affection for her. We know that’s what she feels for Harry. We can presume that she will welcome anybody who makes her grandson happy.”

But now that Meghan ran off with Harry to America, things between her and the queen are probably distant, not just physically but emotionally. And the Queen is likely not thrilled that Meghan and Harry made history by abdicating their royal duties.

At least the Queen never screamed at Meghan… unlike Princess Eugenie (allegedly).

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie is a cousin of Prince Harry and reportedly has a very close friendship with him. But signs point to her current relationship with Meghan being awkward.

Things seemingly started off well. According to Finding Freedom, “Eugenie who’d long wanted to see her cousin settle down and be happy, told friends she loved Meghan and thought she was ‘just the tonic’ for Harry.”

But Meghan later made the mistake of announcing her pregnancy on Eugenie’s wedding day. This is a breach of royal etiquette and, honestly, a bit of a jerk move.

It is even alleged that Eugenie actually vanished during her own wedding to yell at Meghan for her actions.

Prince George & Princess Charlotte

When you’re adding up those royal in-laws, it’s important not to forget about Meghan’s nephews and niece. They may be little now, but these kids are destined to be royal movers and shakers one day!

Meghan first met Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2017 (Prince Louis hadn’t been born yet). At the time, The Mirror reported that Meghan was “totally taken” by them.

She liked them so much they became part of her wedding party. And she continued to give them sweet treats and thoughtful gifts as a testament to her love.

“An avid cook, Meghan often pops around to visit with Kate and the kids dropping off treats,” a source told ET Online in March 2018. By all accounts, it seems Meghan truly loves her nephews and niece.

Maybe Meghan should have tried treats and gifts to stay on Princess Beatrice’s good side?

Princess Beatrice

Princess Beatrice is Eugenie’s sister. But does Meghan get along any better with Beatrice than her sister? It depends on who you ask!

Reportedly, they got along very well at first. But after Meghan and Harry fled to America, one of Beatrice’s friends told Page Six, “It’s fair to say the relationship is not what it was.”

Furthermore, in July 2020, Meghan name-dropped Beatrice and Eugenie in legal documents, pointing out that some members of the royal family are allowed to undertake paid work while she was not.

Of course, Beatrice and Eugenie are not considered senior royals. Still, it seems like Meghan may have been upset that her cousins-in-law had privileges she did not.

Prince Andrew

When is it good for one member of the royal family to have a strained relationship with her uncle-in-law? When the uncle is “public enemy number one,” of course!

In 2019, Prince Andrew made waves of negative headlines after some serious allegations of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. He denied these allegations, but The Telegraph reported that Meghan’s friends were “horrified by the manner in which the Duke of York dismissed allegations that he had sex with a teenager.” The details of his alleged abuses made them “uncomfortable,” as they did most of the world.

We can only imagine Meghan is probably grateful to now be living so far away from Andrew! But it’s possible she misses being so far away from another royal: Princess Anne.

Princess Anne

Meghan once got along very well with Queen Elizabeth. But how well does she get along with Queen Elizabeth’s daughter Princess Anne?

Princess Anne and Meghan have more in common than you might think. Like Meghan, Anne chose not to accept royal titles for her children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, the same way Meghan’s son is simply known as Master Archie.

Indeed, a 2020 ITV documentary called Anne: The Princess Royal at 70 revealed that Anne seems to have sympathy for Meghan.

“The pressure that is applied to the younger members of the family, it’s always worse,” Anne says in the documentary (via The Mirror). “That’s what the media is interested in. That’s hard sometimes to deal with. But there was no social media in my day, and it’s probably made it more difficult.”

In fact, when asked if Princess Anne has sympathy for Meghan on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program, ITV documentary interviewer Robert Hardman confirmed it. “She does, and she talks about it,” he said (via The Mail).

Zara Tindall

Zara Tindall is another cousin of Prince Harry’s and the daughter of Princess Anne. But it doesn’t appear that she’s close with Meghan.

What we do know comes from Sean Smith, the royal biographer who wrote Meghan Misunderstood. It seems that Zara was seriously unimpressed with Meghan’s wedding planning. Smith wrote, as The Express reports, that Zara was “gobsmacked” when she first saw details of the extravagant wedding.

If Zara was that taken aback at the wedding details, it’s fair to say that she and Meghan probably aren’t the best of friends!