Meghan Markle & Queen Elizabeth Are Close, But Sophie Wessex Is Still ‘The Favorite’

Meghan Markle has scored a lot of points with Queen Elizabeth, but she is still not the No. 1 confidante among the younger royals, as that position is still taken by Prince Edward’s wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Royal commentator Neil Sean says that Duchess Meghan has worked hard to “ingratiate herself” with the queen, but she still doesn’t have the top spot, says Express. Sean explains that Queen Elizabeth has been welcoming to Markle, but she’s still the newbie on the scene.

He believes that Duchess Meghan has been very clever getting close to the monarch.

“I would say Meghan has ingratiated herself very cleverly with the Queen. We saw last year them going on the trip and the royal train and all that sort of stuff.”

Sean says that Queen Elizabeth has learned a lot about getting to know the younger generation of women coming into the royal family.

“I think the Queen herself is very much a girls’ girl and she does try and connect with the younger members of the family and guide and nurture them.”

This has not always been the case, but the queen’s relationship with Markle is proof that times have changed.

Sean says that the queen’s kindness has never been more evident than when she embraced Duchess Meghan after the engagement.

“She’s tried to connect as quick as she can to prove that all these terrible stories about her being unkind to previous people are certainly not the case.”

And one of these stories was about the queen banning the Duchess of Sussex from borrowing her jewelry for events and occasions, says The Inquisitr. Despite rumors that all the other women in the royal family were welcome to borrow pieces from the queen’s collection, with the exception of Markle, royal sources have stated that this is untrue. Duchess Meghan is not only allowed to borrow jewelry, but she will also likely be gifted pieces along the way.

Royal watchers have stated that the queen has been very impressed with Markle’s work ethic, and has passed on important patronages to the family newcomer, including those involving animal welfare. Duchess Meghan has already been given access to the jewelry that belonged to Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, and she has been photographed wearing several pieces.

Despite the sometimes harsh press, Duchess Meghan seems to be doing well with the public as a whole, and the enthusiasm surrounding the birth of Baby Sussex.