King Charles had an endearing nickname for Meghan Markle while she was a working royal, before he ascended the throne.
Despite the duchess receiving various negative monikers from the press, Charles saw Meghan’s determination and coined the nickname ‘Tungsten’ in recognition of her strength and steadfastness, which he admired.
This term of affection reflected her influence on Prince Harry, who Charles believed benefited from her firm character. The Royal Family is no stranger to private nicknames, and this one signified Meghan’s inclusion after her marriage to Harry, Surrey Live reports.
In June 2018, a palace insider revealed to Charlotte Griffiths of 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.”
Further details about the nickname came to light in Katie Nicholl’s 2022 book ‘The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown’, where Nicholl emphasises that Charles regarded Meghan as resilient and assertive. The Mirror also reported Charles recognising Meghan as a “breakout star”, valuing her confidence, enthusiasm, and humour.
Expressing his fondness, Charles reportedly told friends about Meghan: “She is so intelligent and so nice. She makes Harry happy. We could not like her more.”
Prince Harry and Meghan are said to be “upset and bruised” following a critical article in Vanity Fair, with a royal expert claiming that “things are not looking good for them at the moment”.
The article, which examined the couple’s business ventures since leaving the Royal Family, included unverified claims about Meghan’s team exploring a possible book deal in the event of a divorce and allegations that Beyoncé had turned down an offer to appear on Meghan’s podcast Archetypes.
According to royal expert Kinsey Schofield, the couple is reeling from the impact of the piece, stating: “It is my understanding that they are upset over it [and] I’m being told that things aren’t good for them right now, between Meghan’s show being postponed, which I’ve heard was Netflix’s idea, and just the idea that she has worked so hard to rebrand herself and here comes a very respected publication reiterating some of the nastiest claims about her.”
Schofield added: “So I think they are bruised and they’re sitting back trying to figure out how to process going forward.”
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