King Charles' Nickname for Meghan Markle Is More Surprising Than You'd Think

While there often appears to be no love lost between Meghan Markle and the royal family in the media, a new revelation hints that King Charles once greatly admired the Duchess of Sussex — and perhaps still does, despite the public’s perception of the British family.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl claimed in her new book, The New Royals
, that the recently crowned king used to call Meghan “Tungsten,” referring to the hard steel-gray metal that has the highest melting point of all metallic elements. Nicholl wrote, via ET, that Charles gave Meghan the nickname due to her “toughness and resilience.”

Meghan allegedly earned the nickname after her and Prince Harry‘s first joint engagement with Prince William and Kate Middleton, the 2018 Royal Foundation Forum, during which she was extremely vocal about girls’ and women’s empowerment. She also confirmed she would be stepping away from her acting career to focus on tackling humanitarian issues with her soon-to-be husband.

Nicholl delved into the nickname’s origins further in The New Royals, writing, “It was, according to one aide, the moment William and Kate… realized they needed to up their game,” continuing, “Meghan was the breakout star of the foursome. She was polished, passionate, and funny, using all her TV-honed skills to present her case. That was a wake-up moment for William and Kate when they realized that Meghan was very impressive, very confident, and very capable, according to a source.”

It’s unclear if King Charles still uses the endearing nickname for his daughter-in-law, given the tension among royal family members since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as working royals in 2020. Reports recently surfaced that Meghan requested a meeting with the new king following Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral events in an effort to clear the air — proving that even if Charles doesn’t still use the nickname for Meghan, she continues to live up to its meaning.

Nicholl’s newest book released on October 4, in which she covers Queen Elizabeth‘s unprecedented reign, King Charles’ decades spent waiting to ascend the throne, and the direction “The Firm” is taking as Prince William and Kate become the modern faces of the centuries-old institution.

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