When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, one of the biggest questions was how she would fit in with the royal family. Obviously the prince was smitten with the former Suits star, but how would the others feel about welcoming an American into the family?
As the wedding drew closer, it was clear that Meghan was a welcome addition to the palace. When the bride-to-be's father, Thomas Markle, had to drop out of the wedding, Prince Charles stepped in to walk his new daughter-in-law down the aisle.
"Ms. Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St. George's Chapel on her wedding day," the palace stated the day before the wedding. "The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms. Markle to The Royal Family in this way."
"It was Meghan's wish and she is grateful for the Prince of Wales to be doing it," a royal source told PEOPLE.
Just about a month after her wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle stepped out for her first solo outing with the Queen, and the pair looked like they were having a great time. The outing was to attend the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
"It is the way of the royal family"”all part of the training and getting used to being in public life and under public scrutiny," according to the Queen's former press secretary, Charles Anton. "Showing people the ropes is a high priority for the Queen."
Meghan also shared some sweet moments with the Queen at the Royal Ascot, proving she is already at home with her new family.
Though the palace tends to keep a tight ship about the personal goings-on at the palace and within the royal family, some information was leaked about what Prince Charles calls his new daughter-in-law, and it's definitely interesting.
According to a royal source, Charles calls Meghan "tungsten" because she is strong like the metal.
"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 softie. It's become a term of endearment," the source said.
This nickname is a little different than what Thomas Markle says he calls his daugther.
"When she was a child she loved Jack and the Beanstalk and because she is so small I call her Bean or Beanie, and then eventually it became Beanie and the Beanstalk, so I call her Bean all the time," he explained to Good Morning Britain.
Nicknames are a big thing in the royal family, as Prince Philip calls the Queen "cabbage," after the french pet name "mon p'tit chou." Prince William and Prince Harry call the Queen "Granny" behind closed doors, and the great-grandchildren call her "Gan Gan."
As for Meghan, she'll soon be able to refer to the Queen the same way Princess Diana did, calling her "Mama."
