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Meghan Markle has come under fire again for a story she told in her Netflix docuseries with husband Prince Harry, this time about a curtsy blunder.
On Thursday, Netflix dropped the final part of the six-episode series Harry & Meghan. Among the many bombshell claims made by the couple, one included the Duchess of Sussex mocking her own attempts at curtsying.
When describing her first meeting with Queen Elizabeth II while she was still dating Harry, Markle claimed she did not know that royal protocol dictated she had to curtsy to the queen when she met her.
Markle suggested she bowed more than had done a curtsy as Harry watched on in silence, she added that she had said: "Pleasure to meet you, your majesty, was that OK?"
She then reenacted her attempt, suggesting it was awkward and added: "I mean, Americans will understand this, we have 'medieval times, dinner and tournament.' It was like that."
This caused controversy in the U.K., with some labelling the anecdote as disrespectful to the late queen and now an Instagram user has found a scene from an early season of Suits—the TV series on which Markle rose to fame— that showed her character Rachel Zane performing a curtsy.
"Remember when #meghamarkle told #Oprah she had no idea what curtsy was, and lied again on Netflix documentary, and mocked the Queen with 'medieval times' comment?" Instagram user, EmilieHRH, captioned the post.
"Here she is on @suitspeacock few years ago executing a PERFECT CURTSEY.
This only proves she knew perfectly well how to curtsey long before she met Harry—this season was filmed in 2010. So her whole BS on Netflix about [curtsying] to the QE was just a mockery."
Markle also revealed her awkward first encounter with the queen during the couple's infamous tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
"There wasn't a huge formality the first time I met Her Majesty the queen. We were going for lunch at Royal Lodge, which is where some other members of the family live," she recalled.
"Harry and I were in the car and he says, 'OK, well my grandmother is there, you're going to meet her'. [I said] 'OK, great'. I loved my grandmother, I used to take care of my grandmother. [He said] 'Do you know how to curtsy?' 'What?' 'Do you know how to curtsy?' I thought genuinely that's what happens outside, that was part of the fanfare. I didn't think that's what happens inside. I go, 'But it's your grandmother.' He goes, 'It's the queen!'"
Winfrey then asked: "Did you Google how to curtsy?"
"No, we were in the car. Deeply, to show respect, I learned it very quickly right in front of the house. We practiced and walked in," Markle replied.
She then explained how Sarah, Duchess of York, greeted them at the entrance and said, "Do you know how to curtsy? Oh, my goodness, you guys.'"
Markle added: "I practiced very quickly and went in, and apparently, I did a very deep curtsy, and we just sat there and we chatted and it was lovely and easy and I think, thank God, I hadn't known a lot about the family. Thank God, I hadn't researched. I would have been so in my head about all of it."
Markle starred in Suits from 2011-2018 but stepped away from acting when she married Harry in 2018 after they first started dating two years earlier.
Newsweek has reached out to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex for comment.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more