She discusses the awkward encounter in the new Netflix docuseries, 'Harry & Meghan.'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are giving more insight into her first encounters with his family in their new Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. The first three episodes of the series dropped on Thursday, featuring the couple's candid take on their early romance and life inside the Institution.
"It's so funny to look back at it now because now I know so much, and I'm so glad I didn't then," Meghan says of her experience within the royal family. "Because I could just authentically be myself without so much preparedness."
The Duchess of Sussex shares details about her first encounter with her future brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
"Even when Will and Kate came over and I had met her for the first time... They came for dinner," the mother of two recalls. "I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn't realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits."
Meghan adds that what she began to realize was that William and Kate and other members of the British royal family were formal both in public and behind the scenes.
"I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside," she says. "That there is a forward-facing way of being. And then you close the door, 'Oh, great. OK, we can relax now.' But that formality carries over on both sides and that was surprising to me."
There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the first episode of the show reading, "Members of the Royal Family declined to comment on the content within this series."
However, a source close to the royal family tells ET, “That is incorrect. Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace nor any members of the royal family were approached for comment on the content of the series," adding "[The Palace] is not aware of any such approach for comment."
Harry and Meghan also discuss Meghan's meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was the first senior member of the royal family she met.
"She had no idea what it all consisted of. So it was a bit of a shock to the system for her," Harry admits of Meghan meeting his grandmother and other important members of his family.
"I didn't know I was gonna meet her until moments before," Meghan says of the late monarch. "We were in the car, driving and he's like, 'You know how to curtsy, right?' And I just thought it was a joke."
Meghan compares the moment she met the queen to a scene out of Medieval Times, a popular dining experience in America. She even imitates the deep curtsy she made as Harry looks on amused.
Harry jokes of his family, "They were surprised that the ginger could land such a beautiful woman and such an intelligent woman."
That being said, he adds, "But the fact that I was dating an American actress was probably what clouded their judgement more than anything else in the beginning."
Meghan, who starred on USA's Suits, agrees, saying, "The actress thing was the biggest problem, funny enough."
Volume I of Harry & Meghan is streaming on Netflix now. Volume II is set to be released on Dec. 15.
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