The late Queen Elizabeth’s real feelings towards Meghan were laid bare in one simple, but highly unusual move, a royal expert has claimed.

Ahead of Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry, she was invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the rest of the senior royals – an honour that is almost always reserved for those who are official members of the family.

Royal expert Richard Eden explained in the Daily Mail that the invite coming before Meghan was yet to join the Royal Family officially indicated just what high esteem the former monarch held Meghan in – and what a “great asset” the late Queen thought she would be to the House of Windsor.

This particular honour was not extended to Princess Kate or Duchess Sophie of Edinburgh before their weddings, and despite their close relationships with the late Queen, they only ever scored an invite to the royal Christmas after their marriages. Meghan also spoke highly of the experience in the documentary series she and Harry produced for Netflix, in which they candidly opened up about their love story and subsequent royal exit.

“I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham, calling my mom, and she’s like, ‘How’s it going?’ and I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s amazing.’ It’s just like a big family like I always wanted. And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun,” Meghan said in the series.

All of this was a sign of just how “warmly welcomed” Meghan was into the Royal Family with this “highly personal gesture” and that this was all spearheaded by the late Queen, Eden claims after reportedly speaking to courtiers of the former monarch.

The expert added: “There was also a reference to ‘new members’ of the family in the Queen’s Christmas broadcast that year, which was widely thought to be another nod to Meghan, as well as to the expected arrival of Prince William and Catherine’s third child, Louis, the following April.”

For her part, Meghan has always spoken of the late Queen in the highest terms, and after the death of the late monarch in 2022, said to Variety about her grandmother-in-law, “What’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts. Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her.”