The Truth About Meghan Markle’s Relationship With Queen Elizabeth

Meghan Markle may not be the most traditional member of the royal family, but she’s not feeling trapped in a “palace prison” because Queen Elizabeth hasn’t accepted her into the fold.

A story initially published by Star Magazine, which claimed that Markle, 37, was living in “palace hell” because Queen Elizabeth refuses to accept her and has even banished her from afternoon tea and got the staff to give the Duchess of Sussex the cold shoulder, has been refuted by Gossip Cop. The website notes that the story has been peddled before, but has been proven false by more reputable sources.

The report claimed that the former actress was in a “palace prison” and suffering from “feelings of frustration, exhaustion and sadness” because she was having trouble meeting the demands Queen Elizabeth has reportedly asked, and her inability to supposedly “do anything right” is taking its toll.

“[She] has found that life as a royal is a never-ending nightmare—one she finds nearly impossible to escape,” an alleged “family insider” said. “Meghan is absolutely miserable, but this is what she signed up for.”

The source went on to state that the Queen has not warmed up to her new granddaughter-in-law, and that she had disapproved of her from the beginning because of her career as an actress, which saw her occasionally film sexy scenes, and the fact that she was already divorced when she met Prince Harry. Since then, things only reportedly got worse for her.

“Harry warned her that her life would change, but she never expected it would be such torture,” the source added. “She is caving under the pressure of the Queen's demands. She’s anxious all the time. She can’t seem to do anything right.”

However, Gossip Cop has verified that the report is one that the magazine has repeatedly tried to sell, similar along the vein of reports prior to Markle and Prince Harry’s May 19 nuptials, which claimed the Queen insisted on the pair signing an ironclad prenup before they wed.

That report was also proven false, as prenups are not as popular in the U.K. as they are in the United States, and aren’t even legally enforceable in British courts. In addition, even if they were popular among commoners in the U.K., the royal family themselves aren’t particularly prone to drawing up such agreements in general.

As for Markle reportedly not getting things right since officially becoming a member of the Royal Family, she has rarely made any mistakes during public outings. In fact, it’s been reported that she has adapted fairly well to life as a royal, and has only had small gaffes and issues that she’s found difficult to understand.

In addition to a source stating back in July that the actress finds it difficult to understand why the Queen prefers women in dresses or skirts rather than trouser suits, the only real issue she has run into is remembering not to voice any political opinions. She made that mistake in July during her visit to Dublin, when her comment that she was “pleased to see the result” of Ireland’s recent referendum to legalize abortion was exposed.

“That’s an example of her naïveté,” royal biographer Robert Lacey said at the time. “Within the royal family they talk freely, and everyone knows the rules. She’s learning the hard way that you can’t trust anyone outside the narrow circle.”

Her relationship with the Queen is also reportedly not as contentious as the tabloid claimed, with People reporting earlier this month that Kate Middleton and the Queen were actually her closest friends within the royal family, indicating that they all had wonderful relationships with one another.

“What's characterized these months are the two great relationships that she has struck up with the Queen and with Catherine,” Lacey said. “They seem to be her closest friends and partners in the official set-up.”