The Unusual Gift Queen Elizabeth Once Gave Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's Son

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With contention at the forefront of Prince Harry's relationship with his father, King Charles, it seems like a life of American solitude is inevitable for the ex-royal. The stunning family drama has taken over the royal section of tabloids everywhere. If you've been keeping up with Buckingham's gossip chain, you likely know their rift isn't new. Royal watchers understand the family's boiling point to be Harry and Meghan Markle's emancipation from their senior royal positions in 2020 — better known in the media as "Megxit." While Charles ceased all communication with his son, his mother — the late Queen Elizabeth II — showed signs of reconciliation in the years before her death.

In a 2021 interview on "The Late Show with James Corden," Harry revealed that his grandmother had sent his son, Archie, a special Christmas gift to their home in Montecito, California. "My grandmother asked us what Archie wanted for Christmas and Meg said a waffle maker. She sent us a waffle maker for Archie," the prince recalled. "So breakfast now, Meg makes up a beautiful organic mix in the waffle maker." Corden jumped in to express his amusement, imagining the queen shopping for a basic household appliance. 

Even more surprising was that not only was the late monarch a presence in her great-grandchildren's lives from all the way across the pond, but Elizabeth was actively communicating with the Duchess of Sussex, which paints a different picture of Markle and the queen's relationship.

Although it's been said that Queen Elizabeth initially thought Meghan Markle to be a refreshing new addition to the royal family, her feelings seemingly changed as she and Prince Harry got closer to their 2018 wedding day. According to the Daily Mail's royal expert Richard Eden, Elizabeth was stunned by Markle's commanding behavior — not as shocking when you consider how she's been accused of bullying palace staff members when she was a senior royal. 

The coup de grâce for Elizabeth was purportedly not "Megxit." In Robert Hardman's book, "The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy," a member of the queen's staff recalled her utter exasperation when Harry and Meghan announced their daughter's name, Lillibet, as a nod to the monarch's childhood nickname. Elizabeth purportedly felt they had taken the name without permission.

Even so, reports suggest that Elizabeth always hoped Harry would reconcile with his family, making her waffle maker move a bit more transparent. "Her Majesty never stopped hoping there would be some kind of reconciliation and that the couple would return to the fold one day," an anonymous source said after the queen's death, per The Royal Observer. At least the beloved sovereign died before she could witness her family unravel with even more scandal.