Meghan Markle Once Gifted Queen Elizabeth a Very Bizarre Christmas Present (Hint: It Sang!)

Meghan Markle may have strained her relationship with the royal family, but there was a time when she managed to win over the late Queen. Just a month after her engagement to Prince Harry, in 2017, Queen Elizabeth II invited Markle over for Christmas. According to a royal correspondent, Markle gifted the Queen a singing hamster toy. The Queen, known for her cheeky sense of humor, was all smiles and loved the bizarre gift.

As reported by the Daily Express, royal correspondent, Simon Vigar, told Channel 5, “Meghan played a blinder on her first Christmas. She got a toy—a singing hamster—for the Queen and apparently she loved it…and so did the corgis.”

Reportedly, the invite was a rare exception the Queen made for Markle. Royal expert and columnist, Richard Kay described it as a 'baptism of fire'. He explained, “Kate Middleton was not invited as William’s girlfriend to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the royals. But here was Meghan doing just that.” It seemed that Markle took inspiration from her husband Prince Harry when it came to gifting bizarre things. Kay revealed, “Harry once gave his grandmother a pair of rubber gloves for doing the dishes—I mean, really quite bizarre presents.” Meanwhile, reflecting on the invite, former BBC Correspondent, Jennie Bond, was of the view that Markle used the 2017 Christmas invitation to charm the royal family. Her quirky gift seemed to have worked in her favor, winning the Queen over.

As per the DailyMail, the late Queen that year also received glitter balls for the royal Christmas tree and a purple fleece dog bed. She was also gifted a thoughtful Union Flag from Major Tim Peake's spacesuit. Meanwhile, the late Duke of Edinburgh was given a travel backgammon set. Annually released records of official presents received by the royal family in 2017 showed that the monarch was also given an ostrich egg as a 91st birthday present from the Kenyan president.

The relationship between Markle and the Queen was once a very loving one. In her infamous Oprah Winfrey interview, Markle spoke warmly of the monarch, recalling a touching moment from her first royal engagement. She shared that the Queen, in the car, had said, "Meghan, come on," before placing her travel blanket across both their knees. Markled recounted, "It made me think of my grandmother, where she has always been warm and inviting and … and really welcoming." She added, "She [the Queen] gave me beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace [for the outing]." However, inside sources told the Daily Express that following the bombshell interview, the late Queen was deeply 'upset' over her explosive claims.