The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, reportedly had a rather harsh nickname for Meghan Markle that he never said to her face, according to royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward.
In her forthcoming book, “My Mother and I,” Seward claims that Philip referred to the Duchess of Sussex as the “Duchess of Windsor,” or “DoW” for short, drawing a parallel to the American socialite Wallis Simpson.
Simpson, a twice-divorced American woman, married King Edward VIII in 1937 after he abdicated the British throne to be with her, causing a major scandal and shaking up the monarchy.
According to Seward, Prince Philip saw “uncanny” similarities between Meghan and Wallis, beyond just their shared status as “pencil-slim, dark-haired and glamorous American divorcées.”
Before meeting Prince Harry in 2016, Meghan had been married to film producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2014.
Her status as a divorcée was reportedly a point of concern for some members of the royal family when she and Harry began their relationship.
Speaking to GB News, Seward explained: “I think Prince Philip was very canny about people and he didn’t always see the bad in them, he tried to see the good in them.
I think he just couldn’t get away from the fact [of the] similarities between Meghan and Harry and Edward and Mrs Simpson.”
She added: “There are so many similarities which is why he used to call her The Duchess of Windsor, I mean not to her face.
We used to call her dow – DoW [the abbreviation for Duchess of Windsor].”
However, Seward notes that Queen Elizabeth II was initially quite welcoming to Meghan, giving her approval after being introduced to the former actress by Harry in 2017.
The Queen did allegedly think Meghan’s wedding dress was “too white” for a second wedding, but overall she “harbored high hopes” for the Duchess of Sussex.
Despite the Queen’s optimism, Prince Philip remained wary of Meghan, Seward claims.
“One of the few wary of succumbing to (Meghan’s) charm offensive… was Prince Philip.
From the moment he detected her apparent similarity to Wallis, he referred to her as DoW,” she writes in her book.
The comparison to Wallis Simpson became even more apt in January 2020, when Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family and move to Montecito, California.
This choice echoed Edward VIII’s abdication and subsequent move to France with Wallis.
Royal expert Hugo Vickers has pointed out that Harry, like his great-great-uncle Edward, “radiated the same sadness after cutting their links with the royal family.”
Vickers noted that both men took “the path of perceived happiness” in their marriages, but ultimately may not have found true fulfillment.
“As for the Duke of Sussex, who knows what’s going to happen to him? I think he looks thoroughly miserable,” Vickers remarked in 2022.
Meghan and Harry have rarely returned to the UK since their departure in 2020, only visiting for special occasions such as Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.
Meghan did not attend King Charles III’s coronation last year, which Harry attended alone amid safety concerns and a desire to avoid attracting “drama.”
The revelation of Prince Philip’s unflattering nickname for Meghan sheds light on the complex family dynamics and historical parallels at play in the modern royal family.
While the Queen welcomed Meghan with open arms, Philip’s reservations and pointed comparison to Wallis Simpson foreshadowed the tensions that would eventually lead to the Sussexes’ departure from royal life.
As Harry and Meghan continue to forge their own path, only time will tell if they will find the happiness and purpose that eluded Edward and Wallis.
