The late Prince Philip had a nickname for the Duchess of Sussex, and the message behind it was brutal, claims a royal expert.
Prince Philip, who died in 2021, was supposedly “wary” of the former Suits actress and drew comparisons between her and Wallis Simpson, the wife of Prince Edwards. Both women were American and divorced when they married into the royal family, and comparisons between the two have been highlighted before but Philip was said to have pointed out the likeness explicitly with a nickname for Meghan, though it was never outwardly told to her.
Royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward said that he saw “similarities” between Meghan and Wallis Simpson, the late Duchess of Windsor, and dubbed her with a nickname linking the two women.
Prince Philip’s brutal nickname for Meghan Markle that he ‘never said to her face’
Speaking to GB News, Seward explained: “I think Prince Philip was very canny about people and he didn’t always see the bad in them, he tried to see the good in them. I think he just couldn’t get away from the fact [of the] similarities between Meghan and Harry and Edward and Mrs Simpson.”
She added: “There are so many similarities which is why he used to call her The Duchess of Windsor, I mean not to her face. We used to call her dow – DoW [the abbreviation for Duchess of Windsor].”
In her book, My Mother and I, Seward wrote that the late Prince was “wary” of the former Suits actress as she explained: “One of the few wary of succumbing to (Meghan’s) charm offensive… was Prince Philip. From the moment he detected her apparent similarity to Wallis, he referred to her as DoW.” She added that Prince Philip had earmarked Meghan as ‘disruptive’ for the royal family, but his wife the late Queen Elizabeth II was optimistic and had “high hopes” for Meghan.
Meghan and Harry wed in 2018, and stepped back from the royal family in 2020 (
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Meghan and Harry stepped back from the royal family in 2020 and left the UK to live in California, where they currently reside with their two children. Whilst Harry will visit the UK next month to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games, it’s thought that Meghan will stay in the US amid safety concerns and not wanting to attract ‘drama’ by visiting the UK. Meghan has rarely made a return to the UK since the pair stepped back from their royal duties in 2020 but only on special occasions which included Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022. However, she did not return for King Charles III’s coronation last year, which Harry attended alone.