When Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh’s rank changed she was no longer duty bound to curtsey to Meghan Markle.

Duchess Sophie and Meghan Markle riding in a carriage

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, no longer curtsies to Meghan Markle (Image: Getty)

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh is “relieved” she no longer has to curtsy to Meghan Markle due to her change in ranking, according to reports.

Previously the Countess of Wessex, Sophie was given a new title after her husband Prince Edward was promoted to Duke of Edinburgh after Charles became King.

She was duty-bound to curtsey to the Duchess of Sussex as Meghan was a higher rank when she was a senior working royal. But a friend of the Duchess of Edinburgh told the Mail on Sunday Sophie is relieved this is no longer the case.

The source explained: “Sophie is relieved. She no longer has to curtsy to someone in the family who has not only left Royal duties but has spent the past three years criticising the institution that Sophie works so hard to support.”

Meghan Markle, as revealed in her Netflix docuseries, once believed that curtseying was a joke. The Sussexes revealed that before a meeting with the late Queen, Harry asked Meghan: ‘You know how to curtsey, right?’ Meghan told the crew: “I just thought it was a joke” before re-enacting the exaggerated curtsey she gave Queen Elizabeth II and laughing.

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Meghan Markle and Duchess Sophie at Queen Elizabeth II funeral

Meghan used to be a higher ranking when Sophie was a Countess (Image: Getty)

The claims about tensions between Sophie and Meghan featured in Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, by author and friend of the Royals Gyles Brandreth.

He writes that Meghan “made it clear” she didn’t need Sophie’s help when she became a royal and would instead rely on Prince Harry, according to the Daily Mail.

The King made his brother Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday on Friday as a reward for his loyal service to the crown. King Charles also appointed his brother to the Order of the Thistle on his 60th birthday.

Prince Philip held the title of Duke of Edinburgh before his death in April 2021 – a title that was then passed on to his youngest son after he died. Edward was exceptionally close to his father and in his later years took on much of his work with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme.

Speaking of the moment that Philip asked if Edward would take on the title after his death, Sophie revealed how she felt at the moment to the Telegraph.

She told the publication: “We sat there slightly stunned. He literally came straight in and said, ‘Right. I’d like it very much if you would consider that’.”