Meghan Markle is returning to Britain with Prince Harry, years after the couple left the country and stepped back from royal duties in 2020. Their departure, soon dubbed Megxit, transformed their relationship with the Royal Family and left many believing Queen Elizabeth II had never truly accepted her grandson’s wife. But before the fallout, the late monarch gave Meghan Markle several unmistakable signs of warmth, trust and approval.

The history between Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II is often remembered through the prism of what came later. The Oprah Winfrey interview, the Netflix docuseries and the increasingly public distance between the Sussexes and the institution can make their early royal years seem like the opening act of an inevitable feud. Look closer, however, and there was a very different story playing out behind the palace gates.

Before Meghan Markle could become a member of the Royal Family, Queen Elizabeth II had to formally approve the marriage. In March 2018, the monarch gave her official consent to the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle under the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. That was more than ceremonial royal housekeeping. 

The document, formally known as the Instrument of Consent, carried the monarch’s official sanction and cleared the way for one of the most closely watched royal weddings of the modern era. For Markle, who had entered the British royal orbit from Hollywood, it represented one of the clearest institutional signs that Queen Elizabeth II accepted her place beside Prince Harry.

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But the wedding was only the beginning of that welcome. Once  Markle became the Duchess of Sussex, Queen Elizabeth II did not simply watch from the sidelines. 

The wedding itself offered another powerful signal. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018, in front of senior members of the Royal Family and millions of viewers around the world. The occasion was steeped in Windsor history, but it also carried a distinctly personal gesture. 

Meghan Markle had asked then-Prince Charles to accompany her down the aisle after her father could no longer attend, and the future King publicly described the moment as an opportunity to welcome his new daughter-in-law into the family. 

Barely a month after the wedding, Meghan Markle was paired with Queen Elizabeth II for an official visit to Cheshire. For a newly married member of the Royal Family, being sent out on an engagement with the monarch was a significant vote of confidence.

The visit included Storyhouse Theatre in Chester and the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge. The two women travelled together and were photographed laughing and chatting throughout the day.

The Cheshire visit produced one of the most memorable personal stories between the two women. During the journey between engagements, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly noticed that Meghan Markle was cold and pulled the blanket covering her own knees over Meghan Markle. Years later, Meghan Markle recalled the gesture during her interview with Oprah Winfrey. 

Meghan Markle’s first Trooping the Colour in June 2018 placed her prominently on the Buckingham Palace balcony with senior members of the Royal Family. The annual spectacle is one of the monarchy’s biggest public rituals, combining military tradition with the famously choreographed balcony appearance. For Meghan Markle, the positioning mattered because this was only weeks after the royal wedding. 

The balcony appearances continued. In July 2018, Meghan Markle joined the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace for celebrations marking the centenary of the Royal Air Force. Photographs from the event captured Queen Elizabeth II speaking with Meghan Markle during the proceedings. It was another seemingly small interaction, but royal watchers often read such moments closely because members of the monarchy rarely communicate family dynamics through overt declarations. 

Royal Ascot in June 2018 gave Meghan Markle another opportunity to appear alongside Queen Elizabeth II only weeks after the wedding. The event is one of the monarchy’s most recognisable annual fixtures, mixing horse racing, elaborate fashion and generations of royal tradition. Meghan Markle’s presence alongside Queen Elizabeth II placed the newly minted Duchess of Sussex directly inside that tradition. 

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry introduced their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor to Queen Elizabeth II in May 2019, the meeting carried obvious family significance. The introduction took place at Windsor Castle, with Prince Philip and Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, also present.

The Sussexes later shared a photograph from the meeting after announcing their son’s name. It showed Queen Elizabeth II meeting her eighth great-grandchild, turning what could have been a routine family occasion into an important public image of continuity. 

Perhaps the strongest evidence came when the relationship between the Sussexes and the institution was already under enormous strain. In January 2020, after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their intention to step back from senior royal duties, Queen Elizabeth II said the family was supportive of their wish to create a new life while acknowledging that she would have preferred them to remain full-time working royals.

The monarch also made an unusually personal declaration about the couple. Queen Elizabeth II said she was particularly proud of how Meghan Markle had quickly become part of the family and made clear that Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Archie would remain much-loved members of the family. At the height of the Megxit storm, that statement offered a very different picture from the assumption that Queen Elizabeth II had simply rejected Meghan Markle.

Queen Elizabeth II did not publicly endorse every decision made by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, but her actions before Megxit repeatedly showed acceptance. From approving the marriage to sharing a blanket and welcoming Archie, the late monarch left behind a trail of moments that complicate the idea that Meghan Markle was never accepted by the Crown.

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What do you think about Meghan Markle’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth II before Megxit? Share your thoughts in the comments.