Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Lived-in Handbags
    • Eyepatch-Gate
    • Life in Plastic
    • Brown Denim
    • Taylor Swift
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Everyone Thinks the Queen Shaded Meghan Markle in Her Wedding Announcement

    Was she nicer about Kate Middleton?

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 16 March 2018 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Clothing, Hat, Head, Fashion accessory, Headgear, Costume hat, Cap, Smile,
    (Image credit: Shutterstock + Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Another day, another royal wedding drama. The world is now convinced that Queen Elizabeth II shaded Meghan Markle when she gave her consent for Prince Harry to marry the Suits actress.

    According to the internet, the Queen referred to Kate Middleton in a very different manner when she gave her permission for Prince William to get married. But as Harper's BAZAAR points out, the comparisons are unfair for an important reason.

    In yesterday's announcement, the Queen wrote, "I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle, which Consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    The Queen has officially given her consent for the marriage of her "most dearly beloved grandson" Prince Harry to Meghan Markle pic.twitter.com/jZ7gSaA5thMarch 15, 2018

    Conversely, in the official decree approving Prince William and Kate Middleton's marriage, Queen Elizabeth II wrote called the Duchess, "our trusty and well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton."

    But as Hello! magazine notes:

    You may like
    • Princess Kate Middleton wears a green dress and has long wavy brown hair and Duchess Meghan Markle wears a white shirt and wears her hair in a ponytail Negative Royal Stories Reduce All Women to "Witches"
    • Queen Camilla wears off-white and pale green on her wedding day, including a white hat, to marry King Charles in 2005 Why Queen Camilla "Felt a Little Broken" on Her Wedding Day
    • NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 13: Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) attend Vernon Park during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham on June 13, 2012 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) Queen Elizabeth Felt Princess Kate Came From “A Very Different Place” Than Other Royal Wives

    "The Instrument of Consent... comes closer to the actual wedding day, while the Privy Council declaration for Prince William and Catherine was almost word-for-word the same as Prince Harry and Meghan, reading: 'I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales and Catherine Elizabeth Middleton.'"

    So there you have it. The Queen didn't intentionally shade Markle. Plus, it's very possible that when Prince Harry's Instrument of Consent is released closer to his wedding day, the Queen will have written some sweet words about Markle, too. Probably.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    RELATED STORY

    Light, Performance, Sky, Darkness, Lens flare, Water, Night, Event, Sunlight, Tree,

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Inside the Wild Life of a Royal Correspondent

    Marie Claire Logo

    (Image credit: Marie Claire)
    Explore More
    Meghan Markle Queen Elizabeth II
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Princess Kate Middleton has long wavy brown hair and wears a black polo neck sweater with a brown blazer
    Royals One Royal Has Become "Very Close" to Princess Kate
    By Amy Mackelden
    Prince William Princess Kate dating
    Royals Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    By Christine Ross
     
     
    Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles at Victoria Station, London, where they will welcome a state delegation from Nigeria, March 1989.
    Royals Why Queen Elizabeth "Was Furious" With Princess Diana
    By Amy Mackelden
    Pippa Middleton wearing a white dress and sunglasses at Wimbledon
    Royals Pippa Middleton Could Be Offered One Future Role With Princess Kate
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Queen Camilla and Princess Kate attend the Order of the Garter in 2019
    Royals Camilla Had to "Step In" When Kate Got "Distracted"
    British Royal Family stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony, which is lined with celebratory red decorative fabric
    Royals One Royal Relative Is a "Huge Asset" to King Charles
     
     
    King Charles wears naval uniform and Princess Diana wears a white pinstripe outfit with a matching hat on a boat in La Spezia, Italy, April 20, 1985.
    Royals Diana Believed She Could "Conquer the World" With Charles
    King Charles has gray hair and looks shocked while wearing a gray suit with a white shirt and a blue checked tie
    Royals Why King Charles "Would Agree With" Sandringham Theft
     
     
    Latest in News
    Paris Hilton at The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards
    Celebrity Style Over-the-Knee Boots Returned the MTV VMAs Red Carpet, Just in Time for Fall
    Dakota Johnson speaks onstage during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) at Peacock Theater on September 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Celebrity Style Dakota Johnson Offers a Tasteful Take on the Naked Dress Trend at the 2026 VMAs
     
     
    Kacy Musgraves at The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) at the Peacock Theater on Thursday, September 24, 2026
    Celebrity Style Kacey Musgraves Honors Dolly Parton in a Rhinestone Cowgirl-Coded Dress at the MTV VMAs
    vmas red carpet dress ciara miller 2026
    Celebrity Style Bras Nearly Outnumbered Gowns on the VMAs Red Carpet
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.