GettyIt’s hard to imagine there’s a smooth transition from calling the queen ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Ma’am’ to calling her ‘Gran’. Luckily, Meghan Markle has found a way around the potentially uncomfortable situation – with a nickname.
The new Duchess of Sussex and the Queen seem to be growing ever closer since Meghan married Prince Harry in May. They have attended royal engagements together, and pictures of them show that they seem to be getting along just dandy.
Of course, it must be difficult to adjust from the American actress life to being a member of the royal family, and one of the most intriguing questions people want to know is – what does Meghan call the Queen?
Editor of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward has the answer.
Once Meghan Markle has fully settled into royal life and all of its ways, Ingrid Stewart has revealed that Meghan may refer to the Queen as ‘Mama’, The Mirror reports.
‘Mama’! Adorable.
Of course, this nickname will only be permitted for use once Meghan is fully immersed in royal protocol, and once she knows the Queen in the same way that Princess Diana did.
GettyFor now, it’s just as we imagined, and the Duchess of Sussex must address the queen as ‘Your Majesty’, as well as adding a curtsey. Meghan may try to move the naming process to the next stage by calling the queen ‘Ma’am’ when she sees the opportunity, but ‘Mama’ will only take effect when Meghan is well and truly royal-ised.
As well as ‘Mama’, the Queen has a few other nicknames that her nearest and dearest can call her.
Since she was little, the Queen has had the nickname ‘Lilibet’, which was originally used by her parents and younger sister Margaret. The nickname dates back to Her Majesty’s childhood, as the Queen struggled to pronounce her own name, presumably coming out with ‘Lilibet’ instead.
Now, only the Queen’s closest friends and family are permitted to refer to her by her childhood nickname.
Meghan and the Queen are steadily gaining ground in their relationship, and the pair made history a couple of weeks ago when the Queen invited Meghan Markle to do something that no young royal ever previously had the privilege of doing.
The Duchess of Sussex and the Queen had a day of royal engagements in Cheshire recently, and they used a mode of transport that is usually off limits to younger royals.
Meghan and the Queen travelled to Cheshire on the Queen’s personal train, which is usually reserved for use only by Prince Philip, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and their staff.
Prince William is only thought to have been on the train once, while Harry and Kate Middleton have never been lucky enough to step on board.
PAThe train has been described as Buckingham Palace on wheels, and is only used a handful of times a year. In 2017, the train was used just 14 times, but cost the taxpayer a whopping £900,000.
The train was first used by Queen Victoria in 1842, and comes with a dining room to seat 12, grand smoking rooms, and bedrooms with en-suites.
After some potential bonding time on Meghan and the Queen’s royal train journey, maybe the new member of the royal family is one step closer to being able to call the Queen by her adorable new nickname.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.