Meghan Markle Once Gave The Queen An Awkward Gift. Here's What We Know

To say things are tense between Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and the rest of the royal family may be the understatement of the year. Drama between The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the royal family began after the couple officially stepped down from their royal duties and became even more strained after their explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

While Meghan revealed some of the negative experiences she had with royal life, one of the positives she expressed was her relationship with the queen. During the Oprah interview, Meghan emphasized that the queen "has always been wonderful to me" (via Harper's Bazaar). "I just really loved being in her company," she said. 

Meghan also shared a sweet moment she had with Queen Elizabeth. "We were in the car going between engagements. And she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth, and it was chilly. And she was like, 'Meghan, come on,' and put it over my knees as well ... And it made me think of my grandmother, where she's always been warm and inviting and really welcoming."

It seems Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth had a good-natured relationship right from the start. So much so, that when Meghan Markle attended the family's Christmas events for the first time in 2017, shortly after she and Prince Harry had become engaged, she gave the queen a hilarious gift to commemorate the occasion. "Meghan bought a little hamster that sings with a little rope for Her Majesty," a source told The Sun. "It was so funny, especially when the corgis tried to take hold of the toy." The queen allegedly "burst out laughing" and told Meghan, "It can keep my dogs company."

The queen's dogs apparently took to Meghan as well, which was not the case for Prince William, something he was quick to point out. "The corgis took to you straight away," Harry said of Meghan (via Harper's Bazaar) "For the last 33 years, I've been barked at, and this one walks in, absolutely nothing, just wagging tails."