Prince Philip was ‘reluctant to be charmed’ by Meghan Markle – and gave Prince Harry a cutting warning before their wedding

who issued the stern warning: ‘One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them.’

Writing in his tell-all book Entitled, Andrew Lownie revealed Philip’s reluctant feelings towards the Suits star entering the royal fold – unsurprising, perhaps, given that the pair had embarked on a whirlwind 16-month courtship before Harry got down on one knee.
Meanwhile, according to royal biographer Ingrid Seward writing in her book My Mother And I, Philip was ‘one of the very few wary’ of being charmed by Meghan, 44, in the early days of her relationship with Harry, 41.
Philip was also said to have thought it was ‘uncanny’ how much she reminded him of Wallis Simpson – the American socialite who King Edward VIII abdicated to marry.
As such, the prince nicknamed Meghan ‘DOW’ after Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor.

Philip also wasn’t the only royal to have attempted to caution Harry about the pace of his relationship with Meghan, with his brother, Prince William, said to have felt ‘nervous’ about their upcoming nuptials.
In January 2023 Harry discussed William’s warning to take it slow in his memoir Spare, writing: ‘”It’s too fast”, he’d told me. “Too soon”. In fact, he’d actually been pretty discouraging about me even dating Meg.’