

Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to Marie Claire. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Some of the bits from leaked portions of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare are heavy—but this one is pretty funny: Apparently when Meghan Markle met the Queen for the first time, she mistakenly thought Her late Majesty’s son Prince Andrew was her assistant. (That’ll keep a royal humble!)
“After a moment, Meg asked me something about the Queen’s assistant,” Harry writes in the book, out on Tuesday. Initially having no idea who Meghan was referring to, she continued “that man holding the purse. That man who walked her to the door.”
Harry, according to Us Weekly, promptly informed Meghan that “that man holding the purse” was Andrew, the second son of the Queen, and a high-ranking senior royal (keep in mind, this was over six years ago, in October 2016—a different time, indeed).
“She definitely hadn’t Googled us,” Harry writes.
At this meeting, Harry and Meghan joined the Queen, Andrew, Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and their daughter Princess Eugenie and her then-boyfriend Jack Brooksbank for lunch at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
“It was all very pleasant,” Harry writes, noting that his then-girlfriend executed a near-flawless deep curtsy when she met Her late Majesty for the first time.
Meghan revealed in the couple’s docuseries Harry & Meghan that she didn’t know she would be meeting the Queen until they arrived in Windsor.
“There wasn’t some big moment of, like, ‘and now you’re going to meet my grandmother,’” Meghan said. “I remember being in the car and [Harry] was like, ‘you know how to curtsy, right?’ and I just thought it was a joke. Americans will understand this—we have Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. [My first curtsy] was like that. Like, I curtsied as if I was [bowing down to the floor].”
After Meghan apparently nailed her curtsy, the couple exchanged pleasantries with the Queen, discussed Her late Majesty’s attendance at church that morning, and Meghan’s then-home of Toronto, where she filmed Suits.
The Queen left the lunch about 20 minutes later, and Andrew escorted her out.
“Everyone flooded into the room after she’d driven away,” Harry writes. “The whole vibe changed”—and the group toasted the occasion with a round of drinks.
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dies at 90
The liberal icon was the longest-serving woman in the Senate, known for championing gun control as well as protecting the environment and reproductive rights.
By Tanya Benedicto Klich
-
Power Pick: The Sneaker That We're Wearing With All Our Fall ’Fits
It’s ultra comfortable.
By Anneliese Henderson
-
Yes, You Can Apply Retinol To Your Whole Body—Not Just Your Face
A dermatologist gives us the run-down.
By Gabrielle Ulubay
-
Princess Kate Has Had to Find New Royals to "Confide" In After Sussex Departure, Says Expert
She has a lot in common with Duchess Sophie.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince William and Prince Harry Rift: "Happy Families Are Not a Game That Everyone Can Play," Says Expert
Yeesh.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Not Having a U.K. Home Base "Isn't Overly Helpful," Source Says
I can see that.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Prince Harry "Snapped King Charles' Olive Branch in Half," Says Commentator
Eek.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Royal Expert Says Prince Harry Turned Down King Charles’ Invitation to Join Him at Balmoral
“For Harry, this was a missed opportunity.”
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Here's Where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Stay, Eat, and Visit While in New York City
Prince William arrives in the Big Apple today, but hopefully he’ll have time to have a little fun, too, maybe at one of these hotspots.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
We Noticed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Unspoken Signal That Their Marriage is Doing Just Fine
The two were front and center—and obviously very in love—at the Invictus Games this week.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince Harry is “A Completely Different Person” Since Moving to the U.S., Body Language Expert Says
“You can tell through Harry’s body language that he is genuinely happy.”
By Rachel Burchfield