🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Since splitting from the royal family and moving to the U.S. in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have provided fans with an unprecedented insight into what life behind palace walls is really like for members of the house of Windsor.
In January 2023, Harry published his memoir, Spare, which broke records to become the fastest selling non-fiction book of all time. In it, for the first time in his own words, Harry gave a full and frank account of his life story, including many milestones in his relationship with Meghan.
Among these, were details of the prince's first introducing Meghan to his father, King Charles III (at the time the Prince of Wales).
Meghan's relationship with Charles has been widely speculated on over the years, increasingly since her split from the monarchy. Here, Newsweek looks at everything Harry said about the meeting that began the royal father- and daughter-in-law's story.
Welcome to Clarence House
In Spare, Harry revealed that he introduced Meghan to his father over tea at Clarence House in London, soon after he had introduced her to his older brother, Prince William.
Meghan and Harry began dating in the summer of 2016 and in Spare's timeline, the meeting took place sometime before the end of that same year.
By Harry's account, Meghan let out a "gasp" when she first saw the flower garden at Clarence House, which had been Charles' London residence since the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, in 2002.
Prince Harry in Spare
"Meg and I drove through the gate, into the lush gardens of Clarence House, which made Meg gasp. 'You should see them in the spring. Pa designed them himself.' I added: 'In honor of Gan-Gan, you know. She lived here before him.'
"I'd mentioned Gan-Gan to Meg. I'd also mentioned that I used to live here at Clarence House, from when I was nineteen until I was about twenty-eight. After I moved out, Camilla turned my bedroom into her dressing room. I tried not to care. But, especially the first time I saw it, I cared..."
No Curtsy for Camilla
Alongside Charles, Queen Camilla (at the time Duchess of Cornwall) was also present at the first meeting, with Harry having briefed Meghan on how to get the formal greetings out of the way first.
Contrary to the traditional form of greeting a member of the royal family, Harry instructed Meghan to curtsy to his father but not to his stepmother. "I didn't think it appropriate," he said, perhaps signaling a respect and dedication to his late mother, Princess Diana, who couldn't be introduced to her future daughter-in-law.
Prince Harry in Spare
"There, at last, on the landing above us, stood Pa. Beside him stood Camilla.
"Meg and I had rehearsed this moment several times. For Pa, curtsy. Say, Your Royal Highness, or Sir. Maybe a kiss on each cheek if he leans in, otherwise a handshake. For Camilla, no curtsy. Not necessary. Just a quick kiss or handshake. 'No curtsy? You sure?' I didn't think it appropriate."
'Soap Opera?'
After the formalities were over, Harry told readers that his father and Meghan appeared to hit it off, engaging in conversation about her career as an actress in the legal drama Suits.
Charles, according to his son, said the work sounded "marvelous."
Prince Harry in Spare
"We all went into a large sitting room. Along the way Pa asked Meg if it was
true, as he'd been told, that she was the star of an American soap opera! She
smiled. I smiled. I desperately wanted to say: 'Soap opera? No, that's our family, Pa.'
"Meg said she was in a cable drama that aired in the evening. About lawyers.
Called Suits. 'Marvelous,' Pa said. 'How splendid.'"
'Meg Leaned Towards Pa. I Flinched.'
After winning over Camilla through talking about her two rescue dogs, Harry said that Meghan left a clear impression on his father.
"He looked impressed by the way she answered," he told readers. "Her confidence, her intelligence, I thought, caught him unawares."
Despite this, Harry feared that an affectionate gesture on saying goodbye could jar his father.
"We all stood. Meg leaned towards Pa," he said. "I flinched; like Willy [Prince William], Pa wasn't a hugger. Thankfully, she gave him a standard British cheek-to-cheek, which he actually seemed to enjoy."
After the meeting, Harry said he considered it a milestone achieved. "Well, that's that then, I thought," he wrote. "Welcome to the family."
Harry and Meghan announced their engagement in November 2017 and married in May the following year at Windsor Castle. Today the couple have two children, Prince Archie (4) and Princess Lilibet (2).
Prince Harry in Spare
"We talked about acting and the arts generally. What a struggle it could be to make your way in such a trade, Pa said. He had a lot of questions about Meg's career, and he looked impressed by the way she answered. Her confidence, her intelligence, I thought, caught him unawares.
"And then our time was up. Pa and Camilla had another engagement. Royal life. Heavily regimented, overscheduled, so forth. I made a note to explain all this later to Meg.
"We all stood. Meg leaned towards Pa. I flinched; like Willy, Pa wasn't a hugger. Thankfully, she gave him a standard British cheek-to-cheek, which he actually seemed to enjoy. I walked Meg out of Clarence House, into those lush, fragrant gardens, feeling exultant. Well, that's that then, I thought. Welcome to the family."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more