Queen Elizabeth II 'very keen' to give Meghan Markle secret marriage mentoring
The Duchess of Sussex previously revealed her husband Prince Harry tried to "warn" her ahead of entering the royal family, but it wasn't previously known that his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was also "very keen" to give her a helping hand.
The monarch reportedly "wanted Meghan to make a success of the marriage" after tying the knot with Harry in May 2018, and encouraged her to get advice and mentoring from the Countess of Wessex, who became very close to Her Majesty following her wedding to Prince Edward in 1999. However, the secret offer was declined by Meghan, according to royal author Gyles Brandreth, who spoke on Daily Mail's Palace Confidential.
"The Queen wanted Meghan to make a success of the marriage and of her new role, and indeed did everything that she could to encourage that," explained Gyles, whose books include The Queen and Philip: The Final Portrait.
"I think she suggested to her that Sophie Wessex, who certainly was a favourite with her, and had been through it because she had married into the royal family, and married Prince Edward, might help her, be a sort of mentor.
DETAILS: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's ultra private marriage away from the cameras
Meghan and Harry got married in 2018
"I don't think Meghan was interested in that. She felt she had Harry, she didn't need to be offered a mentor... The Queen was very keen at first."
The late monarch, who died aged 96 on 8 September, and her husband, Prince Philip, had an inspirational marriage that lasted 73 years before the Duke of Edinburgh passed away aged 99 in April 2021.
Speaking about his grandparents' "adorable" relationship on Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, Prince Harry said: "The two of them together were just the most adorable couple, and I don't know if anyone's ever described them as adorable, but to me, knowing the cheekiness of him and knowing that behind what the world sees, you have two individuals who were very much in love and both who at a very young age, dedicated their life to service.
"The places that these two travelled, the things that they saw, the experiences they went through, that is an incredible bond between two people."
The Queen reportedly wanted Prince Edward's wife the Countess of Wessex to mentor Meghan
However, he has shared new insights on marrying into the royal family in his docu-series with Meghan, titled Harry & Meghan. In a trailer, he compared the media interest in his wife to his late mother Princess Diana.
"The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution, this feeding frenzy," he said. Meghan's voiceover continued: "I realised, 'They're never going to protect you," and Harry added: "I was terrified, I didn't want history to repeat itself."
He also opened up about the "urge" for men within the royal family to marry someone who "would fit the mould".
"I think for so many people in the family, especially the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mould, rather than someone you are perhaps destined to be with," he explained. "The difference between making decisions with your head or your heart and my mum certainly made most of her decision from her heart. I am my mother's son."
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