No, The Queen Isn't Being Shady To Meghan Markle And Prince Harry
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been engaged since November, but Queen Elizabeth II only just gave her official permission for the two to marry.
Elizabeth issued her royal declaration of consent for the nuptials during a Wednesday privy council meeting at Buckingham Palace. Since Harry is in line to the throne, he must have the consent of the queen before marrying.
Some in the media saw the queen’s declaration as shady, given that she once used especially positive language to describe the former Kate Middleton near the time of Prince William’s wedding, but merely listed Markle’s name in this declaration.
But based on documents available on the Privy Council website, the consent declaration language is fairly typical. For Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s declaration on Wednesday, the queen (using Markle’s actual first name, Rachel) proclaimed:
“My lords, 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.”
Certain sites pointed to one of the queen’s statements made around the time of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge’s 2011 wedding, which used flowery language to describe Middleton. The queen referred to the couple as “Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, K.G. and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton.”
But a source with knowledge of the queen’s pronouncements told HuffPost that wording was from a different statement ― not the declaration of consent ― that the queen made public a week or so before the two got married.
When Elizabeth gave her official declaration of consent for the nuptials of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a Privy Council meeting on Feb. 9, 2011, she said:
“My lords, I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Price William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales and Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, which Consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council.”
There are a couple of months before Prince Harry and Markle’s wedding on May 19, so the queen could still issue a separate statement about the upcoming nuptials.
Related Coverage
Body Language Experts Dissect Meghan Markle's First Event With The Queen
Meghan Markle Looks More Royal Than Ever For First Official Outing With The Queen
Prince Harry's Raised Eyebrows At Meghan Markle Cause A Stir
Also on HuffPost
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
Meghan Takes The Lead
![Some body language experts have suggested that Markle comes across as <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/meghan-markle-dominant-partner-prince-harry-relationship-body-language-724512" target="_blank">the more dominant partner</a> in the relationship. That certainly comes through in this photo, as she grabs Harry's hand and leads him on. Wood was most taken by the affection displayed in this pic, though.<br /><br />"Meghan's looking back at him and reaching out to hold his hand again [like she did at the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/prince-harry-meghan-markle-engaged_us_5992ff4de4b08a2472776092">engagement announcement</a>]," she said. "Notice how her head comes down slightly and she tilts her head to look at him. That's such a beautiful little moment of intimacy. I find the adoration they show so charming."](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LN1qScSxIa9u5kItg_1wWA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5a218cb6140000c543b6af4c.jpg)
"Meghan's looking back at him and reaching out to hold his hand again [like she did at the engagement announcement]," she said. "Notice how her head comes down slightly and she tilts her head to look at him. That's such a beautiful little moment of intimacy. I find the adoration they show so charming."
Harry's Signature Move
"Here again we see Harry guarding his solar plexus -- the part of your stomach, below your ribs, where it can be painful if you are hit hard," she said. "It's his habit and a way to guard against the media and crowds. It's something we need to get used to seeing as he's in the news more."
Peak PDA
"I love how she leans down and into him here," Wood said. "It shows that she has respect for him and wants to connect in a tender way. And I love that genuine smile on her face!"
The Protectiveness
"You see that she wants that connection and comfort in these very public situations," Brown said. "Harry's more comfortable in them than she is at this point. It's really something to adjust to."
Meghan's Ease With The Public
"I loved how she bent down to get close to children," she said. "When she's interacting with each person, she greets them and makes it a private conversation, which is pretty incredible considering this is the first time she's out in an official capacity."
A Tight Grip
"She often has two hands on Harry," she said. "That shows the deep, intimate connection that they have. It could also say that she needs to be in control, but we do see pics of Harry in the control position, too. They have a relationship where one complements the other and they each lead at appropriate times."
All Smiles
"I love his open mouth and big laugh here," she said. "He's always been a happy, playful person; his baseline is happy, but what's great is that it's not diminished with Meghan. He can be fully happy in her presence."
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
