When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018 and became part of the Firm, it is claimed the late Queen appointed one key royal to show her the ropes – but it seems the union did not go to plan

Meghan Markle with the Duchess of Edinburgh(Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018 and became part of the Firm, she opened herself up to learning all about royal life. And it was the late Queen who took Meghan on her first solo royal engagement after her wedding, with the pair taking a trip to Cheshire.

While much of the royal outing became a masterclass from the late Queen for Meghan Markle on how to carry oneself when on such official occasions, one book claimed that Her Majesty soon decided Meghan would be better suited to be mentored by another senior royal family member as she found her footing in the demands on royal life.

The late Queen Elizabeth reportedly hoped that Duchess Sophie would be a mentor to Meghan Markle when she married into the Firm(Image: SplashNews.com)

It was reported that it was decided that Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, would be the perfect person to take on the role of mentor to Meghan. And royal expert Gyles Brandreth told the Daily Mail: “The Queen wanted Meghan to make a success of the marriage and of her new role, and indeed did everything that she could to encourage that.

“I think she suggested to her that Sophie Wessex, who certainly was a favourite with her, and had been through it because she had married into the Royal Family, and married Prince Edward, might help her, be a sort of mentor.”

Sophie and Meghan seemed to be a perfect match, with both women marrying into the Firm from upper-middle class families, and their husbands both being third in line to the throne when they were born.

Meghan is said to have insisted she didn’t need a royal mentor, and would instead rely on Prince Harry for support(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

However, despite the late Queen being eager to see their mentorship flourish, Meghan “”made it clear” she didn’t need Sophie’s help when it came to learning the rules of royal life and would instead rely on her new husband Harry, as Mr Brandreth wrote in his book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait.

Mr Brandreth, who is a friend of the royals, wrote: “The Queen (who, of course, had seen it all before) understood that Harry’s girl might find adjusting to Royal life ‘challenging to begin with’ (as she put it). ‘It is very jolty, but you soon get used to it’. That was Her Majesty’s experience going back many years.

Duchess Sophie admitted it “took a while to find her feet” after marrying into the royal family in 1999(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)

“To help Meghan, the Queen suggested that her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, would be an ideal mentor. ‘Sophie can help show you the ropes,’ said the Queen. ” Meghan made it clear that she did not feel she needed Sophie’s help. She had Harry.”

Sophie has long acted as a mentor for new members of the royal family, as she is also said to have stepped in to help Princess Kate find her royal footing after her 2011 wedding to Prince William, with the pair becoming great friends and confidants at the same time.

Sophie has previously been honest about how it “took a while to find her feet” when she married Prince Edward in 1999, becoming a full-time working member of the monarchy and leaving behind a successful career in PR.

Sophie is believed to have tried to maintain a close relationship with Harry and Meghan, as according to The Times, Sophie was the first member of the royal family to visit the Sussexes following the birth of Archie in 2019, going to the couple’s Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

Speaking about the Sussexes’ exit from the firm, Sophie candidly said: “I just hope they will be happy.” But possibly more pointedly, she said that the royal family does all they can to assist new members in adjusting to royal life, adding: “We all try to help any new members of the family.”