Queen Elizabeth Once Broke Royal Protocol to Show Her True Feelings About Meghan Markle

The late Queen Elizabeth was famously firm about royal protocols, especially during the holiday season. Yet, in a rare gesture, she invited Meghan Markle to spend Christmas at Sandringham in 2017— before she was officially engaged to Prince Harry. According to royal expert Richard Eden, such an honorary invitation was typically reserved for official members of the royal family.

Queen Elizabeth was reportedly initially fond of her granddaughter-in-law, Markle. Eden wrote exclusively for the Daily Mail and claimed the Queen held Markle in high esteem and believed she would be a 'great asset' to the House of Windsor. The expert added, “There was also a reference to 'new members' of the family in the Queen's Christmas broadcast that year, which was widely thought to be another nod to Meghan, as well as to the expected arrival of Prince William and Catherine's third child, Louis, the following April.” Eden mentioned that Markle was the first royal member to be invited to the Queen's Christmas celebration without actually yet being married into the royal fold.

The same special invite was not extended to Kate Middleton or Duchess Sophie of Edinburgh before their weddings. Despite their close bond with the Queen, they only scored the coveted invite after their nuptials to Prince William and Prince Andrew, respectively. Royal expert Richard Kay told Channel 5, “Here was a rare exception being made. Kate Middleton was not invited as William’s girlfriend to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the royals. But here was Meghan doing just that.” As per Hello! magazine, a source told the outlet in 2017, “Harry and Meghan spent about an hour at the party, and they were really friendly and went around talking to everyone. Meghan was very sweet and so beautiful.”

The late Queen’s kind Christmas invitation extended not only to Markle but also to her mother, Doria Ragland. According to the Daily Express, Ragland impressed the Queen so much that she received a rare Christmas dinner invitation in 2018, despite not being a royal. Middleton’s parents were never invited, even after her wedding, as Sandringham celebrations are strictly reserved for the royal family. Royal author Ingrid Seward said of her visit to Grazia, “It is unusual for an outsider to be invited, but the royal family does change. I'm sure the royals will do everything in their power to make Doria feel at home.”

Markle seemed to reciprocate the Queen’s kind invitation and ensured she left a long-lasting impression with a thoughtful gift. As reported by the Daily Express, royal correspondent Simon Vigor 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.” Her husband, Prince Harry, also seemed to take a page out of his wife’s book, as he gifted the Queen a ‘pair of rubber gloves’ that year.