Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle's relationship: Everything you need to know

When Meghan Markle embarked on her first-ever solo visit with Queen Elizabeth in June 2018, it was clear to see that although the Duchess of Sussex is the latest to join the royal fold, she has already forged a warm relationship with the British monarch. As Meghan had reflected of the Queen in a BBC interview  after her engagement to Prince Harry: "It's incredible to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honour and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother... She's an incredible woman." Scroll through our photo gallery to discover the landmark moments in Meghan Markle's relationship with the Queen.  JUNE 2018 - THE JOINT SOLO TOURThe Queen and Meghan's first joint outing on their own together, to Cheshire on June 14, 2018, will likely be remembered for images such as this one – the British Monarch and the former actress laughing and enjoying themselves at every turn. After travelling by train overnight together from London, the royal pair opened the new Mersey Gateway Bridge, and visited The Story House and Town Hall. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

JUNE 2018 - TROOPING THE COLOURAt her first-ever Trooping the Colour, Meghan stood in a point of privilege in the centre of the Buckingham Palace balcony, just behind her new grandmother-in-law the Queen. Her spot at Queen Elizabeth II's annual birthday parade, dictated by the family's preference not protocol, hinted at both her royal newcomer status and that she has found a place at the heart of her new family.Photo: Getty Images

MAY 2018 – THE ROYAL WEDDINGWhen Meghan walked down the aisle with Prince Harry at St George's Chapel on May 19, 2018, the two most-watched women on the day were the bride's mother, Doria Ragland, and of course the royal matriarch, the Queen. As Her Majesty had done with Kate Middleton's Alexander McQueen dress before her wedding to Prince William, the Queen also had to approve of Meghan's Givenchy gown before the big day. HELLO!'s royal correspondent Emily Nash explained on the On Heir podcast that it is "royal tradition". "I know that brides like Autumn Kelly who married Peter Phillips did do that, and if the dress is at Windsor it's just a nice courtesy to show it to Her Majesty before the big day." When asked what would happen if the Queen said she didn't like it, Emily said: "I don't think anyone even wants to contemplate that." Photo: Getty Images

MAY 2018 – MEGHAN'S PUP BONDS WITH THE QUEEN?On the eve of the royal wedding, website laineygossip.com spotted what appeared to be Meghan's rescue pup guy riding along with Queen Elizabeth, top photo. The Queen is well accustomed to travelling with her furry friends – in the bottom photo, Her Majesty is seen with one of her corgis in 1955. In fact, a love of canines is something that Meghan and her grandmother-in-law share. Recalling their first tea together with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in the BBC interview, Harry revealed: "The corgis took to [Meghan] straight away… I've spent the last 33 years being barked at; this one walks in, absolutely nothing." Photos: Getty Images

MARCH 2018 – MOTHER'S DAY WITH QUEEN ELIZABETHOn March 11, according to an ABC News report, Meghan and Harry enjoyed an "intimate lunch" with the Queen for UK Mother's Day. Queen Elizabeth was said to have been spending extra time with the former Hollywood actress to help show her the royal ropes in the months before the royal wedding. A day later, the future Duchess of Sussex joined both the Queen and her in-laws – Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and Kate (not pictured) – at the Commonwealth Service, the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom, held at Westminster Abbey. The couple were seated one row behind the Queen and first-in-line at the ceremony. Photo: Paul Grover - Pool/Getty Images

DECEMBER 2018 – MEGHAN'S FIRST CURTSEY The month following her November engagement to Prince Harry, Meghan's first Christmas with the British Royal Family marked her debut with the Queen in public – and the future royal's first curtsey to the monarch. As the royals left the traditional church service at Sandringham, the newly dubbed fabulous four – Duchess Kate, Prince William, Meghan, and Prince Harry – all paid their respects in unison. Meghan seems to have been fast-tracked to celebrate Christmas with the royals for the first time. The Duchess of Cambridge, engaged to Prince William in 2010, was not invited to join Prince William for Christmas a month later, and rugby player Mike Tindall also wasn't present at Sandringham that year despite his engagement to the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips.Photos: Getty Images

DECEMBER 2018 – PRE-CHRISTMAS LUNCH WITH THE QUEENPrince Harry and his fiancée headed to Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth's pre-Christmas lunch, marking the first time Meghan would meet the monarch's extended family. Here Harry is pictured driving his future bride to his granny's London home, also known as Buckingham Palace.

OCTOBER 2017 – THE FIRST MEETING AT BUCKINGHAM PALACEWhile at the time of the pre-Christmas lunch, Meghan hadn't been pictured yet with the Queen, Andrew Morton revealed in his book, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess that the monarch met Meghan for the first time two months earlier on a "drizzly Thursday in October". He reveals the trio had a chat over "thinly sliced sandwiches of cucumber and egg mayonnaise, the selection of small scones and cakes, and Her Majesty’s own Queen Mary blend of tea, with the option of coffee for the American visitor". The introduction occurred just after Meghan made her debut as Prince Harry's girlfriend at the Invictus Games in Toronto in September.Photos: Getty Images