Meghan Markle Recalls ‘Jarring’ Culture Shock When She Met Prince William & Kate Middleton for the First Time

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ready to talk about everything, including their complicated relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton. On Dec 8, the first three episodes of Markle and Harry’s new Netflix docuseries, titled Harry & Meghan, were released, and they weren’t afraid to drop some truth bombs along the way. In one of the confessionals with the parents of two, they recalled the moment in which Markle met Middleton and William for the very first time.

“They came for dinner,” the Archetypes podcast host recalled, per Entertainment Tonight, “I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger.” Wearing casual clothes and going in for a hug, Markle felt a noticeable culture shock. “I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she said.

More from SheKnows

• Prince Harry Shows Off His Royal Sense of Humor About His 'Date Night' With Meghan Markle

For Markle, even though she had been learning the ins and outs of royal etiquette, she assumed that in private everyone would go back to their relaxed, informal selves. “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside,” she explained. “That there is a forward-facing way of being. And then you close the door, ‘Oh, great. OK, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides and that was surprising to me.”

For Markle, however, she doesn’t regret the somewhat awkward first impression. “It’s so funny to look back at it now because now I know so much, and I’m so glad I didn’t then because I could just authentically be myself without so much preparedness,” she noted.

Click here to read the full article.

For Harry, he revealed the different cultures didn’t stand in the way of Markle impressing his family. “I remember my family first meeting her and being incredibly impressed,” he recalled. “Some of them didn’t quite know what to do with themselves.”

He added, “I think they were surprised, maybe surprised that a ginger could land such a beautiful woman and such an intelligent woman.”

The royal did, however, reveal what his family members most had an issue with: her acting career. “But the fact that I was dating an American actress was probably what clouded their judgment more than anything else at the beginning. ‘Oh she’s an American actress — this won’t last,'” he recalled.

Many years later, looks like these two proved them wrong.

Before you go, click here to find out which tell-all books expose major royal family secrets. 

Best of SheKnows

• Margot Robbie, Denise Richards, & More of the Best Dressed Stars at The Hollywood Reporter's 2022 Women In Entertainment Gala

• 21 of the Most Expensive Pieces of Jewelry From the British Royal Family

• A Look Back On Elizabeth Taylor's Loves — From Richard Burton to Colin Farrell — in Photos

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter.
For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.