Before she married Prince Harry, Meghan Markle claimed that she didn’t know much of anything about him or the British royal family. And after stepping down as a senior royal she told Oprah Winfrey she had never received any royal training. But the man who taught the future duchess British etiquette rules including “how to take tea with the queen” is speaking out about meeting her when she and Harry first started dating.
Here’s more on that, plus the other royal lady who reportedly offered to show Harry’s bride the “royal ropes” but Meghan turned that offer down.
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What the duchess told Oprah Winfrey about not getting any royal etiquette training
During the Sussexes’ explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the former Suits star claimed that she didn’t fully understand what she was getting herself into when joining the royal family. She also said that she was “dedicated” to it but “there was no guidance.”
“There were certain things that you couldn’t do. But, you know, unlike what you see in the movies, there’s no class on how to speak, how to cross your legs, how to be royal,” Meghan explained, adding, “There’s none of that training. That might exist for other members of the family. That was not something that was offered to me.”
Teacher who taught Meghan royal protocols speaks out
But what Meghan told Oprah isn’t entirely accurate according to Edmund Fry, who is originally from London and runs the famous tearoom Rose Tree Cottage in Los Angeles. Fry has advised many actors on British etiquette and says he met with Meghan to show her how to partake in afternoon tea with the now-late Queen Elizabeth II and teach her other royal protocols after she started dating Prince Harry.
In 2017, Meghan was at Rose Tree where she had a traditional afternoon tea of cucumber and roast beef finger sandwiches as well as scones with jam and cream. She also inquired about certain royal protocols ahead of her first meeting with the queen.
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These days, Fry says the majority of his clients don’t want to hear anything about Meghan’s time there because they are “appalled” by what she and Harry have done and said in their interview with Oprah and their Netflix series.
He told The Sun: “Most customers do not even mention Meghan or Harry. They don’t even want to talk about it. And you couldn’t give a book away on Meghan anymore. Not here. Yeah, it’s a different story now to how things were. Totally. It is a done deal. Positive comments on Harry and Meghan are out the window now; gone completely.”
Another royal reportedly offered to show Meghan the ‘ropes’ but she turned that down
There have also been reports that other members of Harry’s family did offer to help Meghan, but she declined their offer.
The Daily Mail published an excerpt from the book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait written by the late queen’s friend Gyles Brandreth that read: “The queen (who, of course, had seen it all before) understood that Harry’s girl might find adjusting to royal life ‘challenging to begin with’ (as she put it). ‘It is very jolty, but you soon get used to it’ — that was Her Majesty’s experience going back many years. To help Meghan, the queen suggested that her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, would be an ideal mentor. ‘Sophie can help show you the ropes,’ said the queen.”
However, Brandreth wrote that Meghan made it clear she didn’t need Sophie or anyone else’s help and assumed she would just go to Harry for any pointers.
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