King Charles was reportedly blown away by Meghan Markle’s confidence when he was first introduced to Prince Harry’s future wife. As their relationship grew, the then-Prince of Wales later walked his new daughter-in-law down the aisle on her wedding day in 2018.
Before the big day, which was held in Windsor, a royal insider shared an unusual nickname that the King had for his daughter-in-law – as well as the strange meaning behind it. In her book, which was titled ‘The New Royals’, author Katie Nicholl wrote: “Charles reportedly nicknamed his future daughter-in-law ‘Tungsten’ because of her toughness and resilience.”
The Daily Mail reported on the nickname just weeks after Harry and Meghan tied the knot, writing that Charles called Meghan ‘Tungsten’, a type of metal because she is “tough and unbending”.
A source told the Mail on Sunday at the time: “Prince Charles admires Meghan for her strength and the backbone she gives Harry, who needs a tungsten-type figure in his life as he can be a bit of a softy. It’s become a term of endearment.”
Meghan and Harry’s lavish Windsor ceremony – which took place in May 2018 – was watched by an estimated 1.9billion people.
The loved-up couple – who met two years prior – were married in St George’s Chapel in the presence of 600 guests.
Just a few days before the wedding, Meghan’s father Thomas Markle announced he would not be attending, leaving his daughter with nobody to walk her down the aisle.
According to author and royal expert Ingrid Seward’s book, the King’s kind gesture of walking Meghan down the aisle left the late Queen feeling uncomfortable.
In her book, My Mother and I, Ingrid Seward says: “The Queen was not comfortable with the Prince of Wales standing in for Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, and was similarly concerned about a 96-year-old Prince Philip walking down the aisle without a stick, having had a hip replacement only five weeks before.”
Following their wedding day, Meghan and Harry later welcomed their son Archie in 2019. The pair stepped down as senior working royals and moved to the US in 2020 – before welcoming their daughter Lilibet in June 2021.