King Charles once shared a strong bond with Meghan Markle, but their relationship broke down when she left the royal family in 2020.
During Meghan’s brief time as a working royal, reports suggest she made such an impression on her father-in-law that he gave her an unexpected nickname.
Though King Charles has never publicly referred to the Duchess of Sussex by this moniker, it’s thought he used to call her “tungsten.” This term, referring to a hard and brittle metal with the highest melting point of any known element, is seen as a testament to Meghan’s strength and resilience. It comes after Meghan’s shocking real role in Harry’s estrangement from his family was exposed.
Royal fans have suggested that the king came up with this nickname in recognition of Meghan’s “tough” character, with a palace source also indicating it was used affectionately.
As reported by Instyle, during Meghan’s time as a working royal, when King Charles was still The Prince of Wales, a palace insider told the Mail on Sunday, “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 herself has never publicly commented on this nickname given to her by her father-in-law.
This isn’t the only pet name she’s known by, as Prince Harry – her husband of seven years – also has tender nicknames for his wife. These are terms he still uses today as the pair relish their Montecito lifestyle with their two kids – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The Duke of Sussex is thought to frequently address Meghan as “Meg” or “M” instead of her complete name, while Meghan reciprocates by calling him “H.”
During an appearance on the Jamie Kern Lima Show this year, Meghan disclosed that the pet names “M” and “H” date back to when they first started dating and were attempting to maintain secrecy around their romance.
She explained, “I couldn’t tell anyone who I was dating, and who was keeping [the secret]. So I think we were just on a letter basis.”
Meghan said the nicknames then “just stuck,” and she revealed all of their close friends and family now use the single letter nicknames as well.
“I like nicknames a lot,” Meghan confessed to the podcast host. “I love nicknames.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Meghan admitted she’s still in the “honeymoon stage” with Harry and said, “You have to imagine, at the beginning everyone has butterflies and then we immediately went into the trenches together — right out of the gate, like six months into dating.”
She continued, “When you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way. That’s why I feel like it’s more of a honeymoon period for us now.”
Meanwhile, Meghan’s huge royal U-turn after a ‘key conversation’ about her children was exposed.