Meghan Markle walking to church at Sandringham (Image: Getty)
Meghan Markle gave a surprising 10-word verdict on the Royal Family in a revealing phone call.
The Duchess of Sussex spoke in the 2022 documentary Harry & Meghan about calling her mum after her first Christmas with the Royals in 2017.
She told : “I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham, calling my mom, and she’s like, ‘How’s it going?’ And I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s amazing.’ There was just this constant movement and energy and fun.”
Meghan then gave her 10-word verdict: “It’s just like a big family, like I always wanted.” The verdict might come as a surprise to many given the claims that both Harry and Meghan have made about life in the Firm since stepping down.
She went on: “At dinner, I was sat next to H’s grandfather and I just thought it was so wonderful and I was like, ‘Oh we chatted and it was so great and I talked about this and talked about this’.”
Meghan Markle’s first Christmas at Sandringham (Image: Getty)
However, later informed her that she “had his bad ear,” to which, Meghan laughed: “I was like, ‘Oh – well, I thought it went really well.'”
Her then-fiance went on Radio 4 after her first Christmas at Sandringham and said they had a “fantastic” time with his family.
The Duke added: “The family loved having her there. There’s always that family part of Christmas [where] there’s always that work element there as well, and I think together we had an amazing time.
“We had great fun staying with my brother and sister-in-law and running round with the kids. Christmas was fantastic.”
Asked if there were any family traditions that had to be explained to his partner, said: “Oh plenty, I think we’ve got one of the biggest families that I know of, and every family is complex as well.
DON’T MISS [REPORT]
“No look, she’s done an absolutely amazing job. She’s getting in there and it’s the family I suppose that she’s never had.”
Meghan’s attendance was out of the ordinary, as normally only married partners are invited to Sandringham’s festivities.
Princess Kate was not invited until her and married in 2011. Mike Tindall was also not invited during his engagement to Zara Phillips.
This rule seems to have relaxed in recent years as a “reflection of modern society” said !’s royal correspondent Danielle Stacey, with unmarried couples regularly living together for a long time before marriage.
For example, ‘s then-fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was invited in 2019, despite not officially being part of the family.