Meghan’s Four-Word Response to Prince Charles’ Offer to Walk Her Down the Aisle
It showed she was both “confident” and “independent.”
![Prince Charles Meghan Markle](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/brBAvm4MoVsMBd97sRMnMP-415-80.jpg)
Just before her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle found out her father, Thomas Markle, would not be attending and, therefore, couldn’t walk her down the aisle as planned. Her soon-to-be father-in-law Prince Charles stepped in and offered to walk her down the aisle. But, in a new book, royal author Robert Hardman reveals Meghan’s exact response to the Prince of Wales’ offer, which he says showed she was “confident and independent.”
In a response to his offer that caught Charles off guard, Meghan replied with four words: “Can we meet halfway?”
The response “was an indicator that this was no blushing bride, but a confident, independent woman determined to make a grand entrance on her own,” Hardman says, via the Mirror.
Hardman’s newest book, The Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II, details the Markle family drama surrounding the wedding. Ultimately, Meghan’s mother, Doria, was the only member of Meghan’s family in attendance and “the dynamics of her [Meghan’s] family certainly eclipsed the usual criticisms about the royal family being dysfunctional,” Hardman says.
Less than two years later, Harry and Meghan infamously stepped back as working royals in January 2020. Some around Buckingham Palace expected the Sussexes would return, but Hardman says in his book, Her Majesty knew they wouldn’t for one pivotal reason.
“She told a visitor she did not expect them to resume royal life,” the Mirror reports. “When asked about a future return for the couple, she replied: ‘Of course not. They took the dogs.’”
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
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.
-
Bette Midler Swears the Secret to Her 40-Year Marriage Is "Separate Bedrooms"
She's been married to Martin von Haselberg since 1984.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Taylor Swift Trolls "Godkids' Sperm Donor" Ryan Reynolds Amid 'Deadpool' Release
Proof that they're besties.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Zendaya Delivers a Podium-Worthy Pre-Olympics Gown
She's shining brighter than the City of Lights.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Critics Claim Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Tried to "Upstage" Prince George
"He wants to steal the thunder with his Invictus Games announcement."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle Put “Her Own Neck On the Line” to Support Embattled Prince Harry at the ESPYs Earlier This Month
“She chose to be there for her husband.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle “Really Enjoyed Being Back In Front of the Camera” While Filming Her Forthcoming Netflix Cookery Show
“She was totally in her element.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
It’s Not In King Charles’ Nature to Upstage Daughter-in-Law Meghan Markle and Her Lifestyle Brand American Riviera Orchard with Competing Retail Products, Royal Commentator Says
Lest we forget the so-called “royal jam rivalries” earlier this year…
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Lady Diana Spencer Made This Telling Change to Her Wedding Vows to Prince Charles After Discovering He Was Still Carrying On an Emotional Affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles
Diana wanted to cancel the wedding entirely, but her sisters talked her out of it.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle “Feels Very Much Under Siege” As She Prepares to Launch Her Lifestyle Brand American Riviera Orchard, Royal Author Says
“She thinks that anything and everything she does will be unfairly criticized.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are “Drowning Out the Outside Noise” Surrounding Harry’s ESPY Award Backlash
The Sussexes are “very used to the criticism, given everything that’s gone on over the last few years.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle Is Reportedly "Very Pleased" With American Riviera Orchard's "Strong Start"
The brand is already thriving, says a source.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published