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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Kyle O'Sullivan

Meghan Markle thought Prince Andrew was Queen's PA because he was holding her handbag

Meghan Markle famously claims to have known almost nothing about the Royal Family before she met them.

So much so that Prince Harry says his wife thought Prince Andrew was the late Queen's PA.

In his highly-anticipated autobiography Spare, the Duke of Sussex reveals intimate details of Meghan's first meeting with most of the royals back in October 2016.

Meghan was supposed to be getting a soft introduction at Royal Lodge with Sarah Ferguson, because she already knew Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.

But as they got near, Harry said he got word on his phone that 'Granny' had popped in on her way from church back to Windsor Castle.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with the late Queen in July 2018 (Getty Images)

Harry explained that Meghan said she was excited by the prospect because she "loves Grandmas".

He then asked his wife if she knew how to curtsy, but she couldn't tell if he was being serious.

When they arrived, Fergie also posed the question to Meghan before giving the American actress a demonstration.

Harry also explained how to address the Queen and warned his partner not to speak over her - and said she produced a "flawless" curtsy.

After speaking for 20 minutes, Harry said 'Granny' announced she was leaving and was escorted out by Andrew, who was holding her handbag.

In an extract of the book seen by the Daily Mail, Harry writes: "After a moment Meg asked me something about the Queen's assistant. I asked who she was talking about.

'"That man holding the purse. That man who walked her to the door. That wasn't her assistant? Who was it?"'

Meghan Markle was convinced Prince Andrew was the Queen's assistant (AFP/Getty Images)

Harry awkwardly had to tell Meghan that this wasn't the late Queen's PA, but was in fact her second eldest son.

In the book, he adds: "She definitely hadn't googled us."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spoken at great length about the moment where Meghan first met the late Queen.

During their Netflix docuseries, the couple spoke about the early days of their romance and Meghan's first meeting with most of the in-laws.

Harry said that his partner's introduction to his grandmother was a "shock to the system" and was very impromptu.

"There wasn't like some big moment of 'Now you're going to meet my grandmother'. I didn't know I was going to meet her until moments before," Meghan explained.

Trying to recreate the moment, Meghan then performed an awkward and exaggerated curtsy while giggling.

Prince Harry introduced Meghan to the late Queen (Getty Images)

The camera cut to a stony-faced Harry as Meghan said: "Pleasure to meet you Your Majesty."

The Duchess of Sussex came under fire for the re-enactment, with royal expert Gyles Brandreth among many who slammed her for 'mocking' royal traditions.

Speaking to Vanessa Feltz on TalkTV on Thursday, he said: "It's embarrassing, because it is mocking - and nobody curtsies to the Queen like that, and nobody would have advised her to do it that way.

Elsewhere in the Netflix docuseries, Meghan also spoke about her first meeting with the Prince and Princess of Wales.

She said she found the "formality" of being in the royal family "surprising" and recalled the awkward encounter with Prince William and Kate Middleton.

She revealed: "When Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger. I've always been a hugger, I didn't realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.

"I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and go 'You can relax now', but that formality carries over on both sides."

Buckingham and Kensington Palaces have refused to content on the contents of the book, which hit the shelves on Tuesday.

Spare has been released at all book stores and can be bought online here.

What are your thoughts on Harry's new book? Have your say in the comment section below.

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