A veteran royal biographer detailed the moment in her book ‘The New Royals.’
The Gist
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding took place on May 19, 2018 at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
- Ahead of the big day, Meghan took part in a food tasting, where Queen Elizabeth was also present.
- According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl’s book The New Royals, the two women had a tense exchange about a dish.
The leadup to any wedding is stressful, and when it’s a royal wedding at hand, no doubt even more so.
Brides reported that, at a pre-wedding food tasting ahead of her nuptials to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, Meghan Markle butted heads with Queen Elizabeth after Meghan expressed concerns about a vegan dish.
In her book The New Royals, veteran royal biographer Katie Nicholl shared details about the food tasting, held at Windsor Castle the same month as the wedding. Nicholl reported that when Meghan tried one of the vegan dishes to be served at the reception, Nicholl wrote that the future Duchess of Sussex made her concerns about the meal well-known, which surprised the Queen.
“Meghan was at the castle to taste some of the dishes, and told one of the caterers she could taste egg,” Nicholl wrote. “She got quite upset, saying that the dish was meant to be vegan and macrobiotic, when suddenly the Queen walked in and said, ‘Meghan, in this family we don’t speak to people like that.’”
Brides reported that it was unclear whether the aforementioned dish made the cut for the reception, but Buckingham Palace did share what was served at the lunchtime reception, including a selection of canapés ranging from grilled English asparagus wrapped in Cumbrian ham to heritage tomato and basil tartare with balsamic pearls. Poached free range chicken bound in a lightly spiced yoghurt with roasted apricot also made the cut, as did warm asparagus spears with mozzarella and sun-blush tomatoes.
“Bowl food” was also served—including dishes like 10-hour slow-roasted Windsor pork belly with apple compote and crackling—and for dessert, there was a selection of macaroons and tartlets available. A pièce de résistance, of course, was Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake by Claire Ptak, featuring elderflower syrup made at Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham estate from the property’s elderflower trees, as well as a light sponge cake custom made for Harry and Meghan with a filling made from Amalfi lemon curd and elderflower buttercream. The cake was decorated with 150 fresh flowers, mainly British ones, including peonies and roses. There were 600 guests present at the reception, Brides reported.
In addition to the lunchtime reception, there was also an evening reception hosted by Prince Charles at Frogmore House. Guests feasted on “dirty burgers” and drank a special cocktail made with rum and ginger, sweetly named “When Harry Met Meghan.”
After Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022, Meghan called the Queen the “most shining example” of “female leadership” in an interview with Variety, adding, “I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her.”
“What’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts,” she continued, sharing, “It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband.’” The Queen’s husband Prince Philip died in 2021, 17 months before the Queen.
Meghan also reflected on her first solo outing with the Queen in 2018, not long after her wedding day. “I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt,” she said. “I feel fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”
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