Prince Philip Had a Secret Nickname for Meghan Markle He Refused to 'Say to Her Face'

Meghan Markle isn't the first American divorcée to change the monarchy, as the former actress reminded Prince Philip of Wallis Simpson. King Edward VIII famously abdicated the throne to marry his wife, Simpson, and Philip had a unique name for the Duchess of Sussex that paid homage to the controversial figure.

"I think that Prince Philip was very canny about people, and he didn't always see bad in people. He often tried to see the good in them," royal biographer Ingrid Seward told GB News.

"He just could not get away from the similarities between Meghan and Harry and Edward and Ms. Simpson, which is why he used to call her the Duchess of Windsor," Seward continued. "Not to her face though, he used to call her DOW."

OK! previously reported royal author Alexander Larman hinted at the Sussexes being the modern-day Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

"I think they are very, very lucky to find each other because they've made two people miserable rather than four," Larman told GB News. "Much of the same thing can be said about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor."

"I was looking at the American Riviera Orchard revelation the other day and I thought Wallis Simpson, who was obviously Meghan's spiritual forebear, would have done her own lifestyle brand — but with quite so crass a title? I don't think so," he continued.

In March, Meghan returned to Instagram to promote her new brand, American Riviera Orchard, but commentator Tom Quinn thinks Harry has reservations about the project.

"Harry thinks the new brand is a great idea because it’s Meghan’s idea – he’s still so loved up that she can do no wrong in his eyes," Quinn told an outlet. "But we have to remember that he grew up in a family that would’ve looked down on this kind of commercial enterprise, so there is a part of Harry that’s uncomfortable, which is why we are unlikely to see Harry personally baking cakes or demonstrating kitchen utensils."

Although the social media account gained over 500,000 followers, the Suits star was criticized for launching it the same day as the Diana Awards.

"It’s really significant that Meghan's new American Riviera Orchard brand was launched on the same date as the Diana Awards – Meghan has always seen herself as Diana’s heir," Quinn said. "She sees herself as suffering because of the media, just as she feels Diana suffered, but on this side of the pond at least, there will be a huge amount of criticism that she is just trying to cash in on Diana’s legacy."

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Aside from American Riviera Orchard, Meghan revealed her podcast, "Archetypes," will join the Lemonada platform after being canceled by Spotify.

“I’m proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting,” Meghan said in a statement. “Being able to support a female-founded company with a roster of thought-provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024."

"Our plan to re-release Archetypes so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works," she noted. "I’m so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family."