Sending her love. Before filming the CBS interview, which aired on Sunday, March 7, Meghan Markle reached out to Queen Elizabeth II to check on Prince Philip.
“This morning, I woke up earlier than H., and saw a note from someone on our team in the U.K. saying that the Duke of Edinburgh had gone to the hospital,” the former actress, 39, shared on Sunday. “I just picked up the phone and I called the Queen just to check in. I just called, that’s what we do.”
Prince Philip, 99, was taken to Edward VII’s Hospital in London on February 16 on a precautionary measure.
On March 3, he was transferred to St Bartholomew’s Hospital and two days later, underwent heart surgery. “The Duke is expected to remain in the hospital for continuing treatment for a number of days,” the Buckingham Palace said in a statement on March 5. He was transferred back to King Edward VII’s Hospital after the surgery.
The queen, 94, has been overwhelmed with Philip’s health battle, an insider told Us Weekly exclusively, but she is “handling the stress and sadness with great dignity,” the source said. “Prince William, Duchess Kate, Duchess Camilla and Prince Charles and Princess Beatrice are rallying around Elizabeth, even Princess Eugenie who has just given birth is checking in. Prince Charles, in particular, is making a real effort to step up. Elizabeth is the first to admit that he has been her pillar of strength.”
During Prince Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview on Sunday, the Suits alum shared that the queen has always been very accepting of her. In fact, during their first royal appearance together, the queen gifted her with pearl earrings.
“We were in the car going between engagements, and she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth. And it was chilly, and she was like, ‘Meghan, come on,’ and put it over my knees, as well,” the L.A. native recalled.
Harry touched on his relationship with many members of his family. While his bonds with his father and his brother have faltered over the years, he is still in a great place with Her Majesty.
“I’ve spoken more to my grandmother in the last year than I have done for many, many years,” the prince, 36, said during the interview. “We did a couple of zoom calls with Archie. … My grandmother and I have a really good relationship and an understanding. And I have a deep respect for her. She’s my Colonel-in-chief, right? She always will be.”
Harry shared that his father, meanwhile, stopped taking his calls after his royal exit. While they are on speaking terms now, things are still fractured.
“[He stopped] because, by that point, I took matters into my own hands,” the London native said on Sunday. “It was like, ‘I need to do this for my family.’ This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s gotten to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s, as well, because I could see where this was headed.”
He added that he feels “really let down” by his father, 72.
“He’s been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like, and Archie’s his grandson,” Harry continued. “I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”
