Meghan Markle reportedly mistook Prince Andrew for the late Queen Elizabeth II's assistant during their first meeting in October 2016. The incident was recounted by Prince Harry in his 2023 memoir, Spare.
According to Harry, Meghan first met the late Queen at Royal Lodge in Windsor, which was Andrew's home at the time. After the Queen spent time with Meghan, Andrew escorted her out while holding her handbag, leading Meghan to believe he was an assistant rather than a royal.
Harry Recalls the Awkward Moment
In Spare, Harry wrote: "My uncle Andrew, seated beside her (late Queen), holding her handbag, began to escort her out. After a moment, Meg asked me something about the Queen's assistant. I asked who she was talking about."
He continued: "'That man holding the purse. That man who walked her to the door. That wasn't her assistant? Who was it?'"
Harry then told Meghan that Andrew was his grandmother's son, not an assistant. He wrote that the moment proved Meghan "definitely hadn't googled" the Royal Family.
Meghan's Lack of Royal Knowledge
Meghan has previously insisted she never researched the Royal Family when she started dating Harry. In a 2021 interview with Oprah, she said she "just didn't feel a need" to do any research and relied on what Harry had told her.
Harry also claimed in Spare that Meghan was unaware she had to curtsy to his grandmother. He wrote that Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's ex-wife, taught Meghan how to curtsy moments before she met the late Queen.
Harry said: "Fergie came out, a little emotional, and asked, 'Can you curtsy?' Meg shook her head. Fergie then demonstrated, and Meg imitated her."
Life After Royal Duties
Harry and Meghan married in 2018 and stepped back from royal duties in early 2020, moving to America to become financially independent. They lived in their Montecito mansion in California for six years before returning to Britain just months ago. Despite their return, they remain non-working members of the Royal Family.
