Just one month after her royal wedding in 2018, the Duchess of Sussex was thrown straight into the royal fold as she celebrated the late Queen Elizabeth's birthday at the annual Trooping the Colour parade.
Dressed in a pale pink off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera dress and a matching Philip Treacy hat, Meghan looked effortlessly glamorous as she joined Prince Harry, the then-Duchess of Cambridge, and the then-Prince Charles for the official Buckingham Palace balcony moment, which marked her second official appearance as a member of the royal family.
Despite sporting a wide smile that portrayed confidence, the former Suits actress was spotted turning to her new husband for guidance on royal protocol, over fears she would get the timing of her curtsy to the monarch wrong in front of the eyes of the world.
© GettyPrince Harry was spotted mouthing words of reassurance to Meghan shortly before she dropped into a graceful curtsy on Kate's cue, as Harry bowed his head.
Accounts of the short conversation vary, with some suggesting she asked him "say when", to which he replied "now", while others suggest she asked "Do it?" and he replied, "Yes."
© GettyMeghan Markle's last-minute protocol instructions
In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry confessed that Meghan had to get last-minute instructions from Sarah Ferguson on how to perform her first curtsy to his grandmother minutes before they met.
"I asked if she knew how to curtsy. She said she thought so. But she also couldn’t tell if I was serious," he recalled. "You’re about to meet the Queen. I know, but it’s your grandma. But she’s the Queen.
"We pulled into the driveway, drove across the gravel, parked next to the big green box hedge. Fergie came outside, somewhat aflutter, and said: 'Do you know how to curtsy?' Meg shook her head. Fergie demonstrated once. Meg imitated her. There wasn’t time for a more advanced tutorial. We couldn’t keep Granny waiting," he penned.
The Duchess of Sussex's recollection of the 'intense' moment
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesOn Oprah with Meghan and Harry in 2021, Meghan shared her recollection of the car ride on the way to Royal Lodge.
"We were in the car, we're five minutes from arriving... He goes, 'Right, do you know how to curtsy?' 'What?' He said, 'Do you know how to curtsy?' Now, I thought, genuinely, that that was what happens outside. I thought that was part of the fanfare... And I said, 'But it's your grandmother.' He goes, 'It's the Queen.' And that was really the first moment that the penny dropped."
She added: "Apparently I did a very deep curtsy."
The Duchess later described the interaction as "intense" on the 2022 Netflix show, Harry & Meghan. "Americans will understand this. We have Medieval Times dinner and tournament. It was like that. Like, I curtsied as though I was like... 'Pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.' It was so intense.
"And then when she left, Eugenie and Jack and Fergie said, 'You did great!'. Thanks. I didn't know what I was doing."
