Prince Harry recalled Meghan Markle once mistaking Prince Andrew for an assistant

Prince Andrew
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Harry is one of the most talked-about people in the world, particularly this week with his highly-anticipated memoir Spare, released today.

Ahead of the memoir's publication, Prince Harry sat down for two exclusive interviews over the weekend, making some major revelations during his ITV and CBS meetings.

Since the book's publication, anecdotes and excerpts have been spreading online, with one in particular going viral. 

The anecdote in question involved Prince Harry's uncle, Prince Andrew, with the Duke of Sussex recalling that Meghan had mistaken him for The Queen's assistant when first meeting the royal family.

Explaining how his now wife was thrown into the deep end when meeting the fold, Harry recalled a 2016 gathering at the Royal Lodge - Meghan's first time meeting The Queen. 

“After a moment Meg asked me something about the Queen’s assistant," Prince Harry writes in Spare. "I asked who she was talking about. ‘That man holding the purse. That man who walked her to the door. That wasn’t her assistant? Who was it?'"

Prince Harry responded: "That was her second son. Andrew."

Meghan has spoken previously about the meeting at Royal Lodge, recalling in their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan that she was taken aback by the occasion of it all.

"Now you're going to meet my grandmother," Meghan recalled Harry telling her. "I didn't know I was going to meet her until moments before. We were in the car, and we were going to Royal Lodge for lunch. And he's like, 'Oh my grandmother's here, she's gonna be there after church.'"

She continued: "I remember we were in the car and we were driving up and he's like 'You know how to curtsy right?' And I just thought it was a joke. Now, I'm starting to realize this is a big deal."

The first meeting is said to have gone very well, although Harry recalled that after seeing that the Queen was dressed in a "brightly coloured dress and matching hat", the couple regretted their casual attire.

“I could see Meg regretting her jeans and black sweater,” Harry recalled in Spare. “I was also regretting my shabby trousers. We didn’t plan, I wanted to tell granny, but she was busy asking about Meg’s visit.”

Spare by Prince Harry is available to buy now.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.