Meghan Markle may have just joined the British royal family last year after marrying Prince Harry in their lavish May wedding, but the Duchess of Sussex appears to have already become close to her in-laws, including Queen Elizabeth II.

Markle reportedly formed a bond with the Queen when they went on their first solo trip together last year. The former "Suits" actress joined her grandmother-in-law as she took a train to Chester for a "day of engagements," according to Kensington Palace.

Photos from their day together showed Markle sharing a laugh and chatting with Queen Elizabeth II multiple times. And the two reportedly became "best friends" following their first solo outing together, according to the 2018 documentary, “Harry and Meghan: the first 100 days.”

“The day itself was brilliant – the Queen and Meghan obviously have a tremendous rapport," Dickie Arbiter, a former aide of Queen Elizabeth, shared. "I have never seen the Queen look so happy and delighted. She was smiling and laughing a lot."

Another report offered proof of Markle's closeness to the Queen, revealing that Prince Harry's wife calls Her Majesty "mama" in private. This is the same nickname Princess Diana reportedly called the monarch while she was still married to Prince Charles.

However, it is also possible that the Queen's warm affection towards Markle might just be for show. The documentary speculated that Queen Elizabeth's show of affection towards her newest granddaughter-in-law may be a “PR exercise by the palace."

Meghan Markle, Queen Elizabeth II
Meghan Markle and the Queen are pictured during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018, in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England. Getty Images/Jeff J Mitchell

Royal author Katie Nicholl claimed that the palace may have learned from how they used to treat Prince William and Prince Harry's mother and sought to change their approach with Markle.

"The Royal Family have come unstuck in the past because they have isolated Diana," Nicholl said. "They didn’t include her – they don’t go out their way to make her feel welcome. Is this why they are making such an effort with Meghan?"

"I am sure the Queen, by bringing her in under her wing, supporting her, going out with her on a very public away-day, it sends out a great message," she continued.

Duncan Larcombe, a royal biographer, echoed her sentiments, saying that Queen Elizabeth II may have changed after seeing what happened to Princess Diana.

"The Queen, in particular, has learned from the lessons of the past," Larcombe said. "They know how badly affected Princess Diana was in the early years of her marriage, feeling that she joined this alien world that she couldn’t cope with."

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