Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Bonded Over a Game of Royal Scrabble
The royal family: just like yours! They squabble and they scrabble. Amid rumors (shaky rumors, to be clear) that they weren’t getting along, Duchesses Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, wives to Princes William and Harry, respectively, reportedly enjoyed playing Scrabble together on Christmas day.
Elle reports that “the two joined teams for a number of quiz-based games following the Queen’s traditional family speech on Christmas Day” and “were chuckling along together” as they played.
We have so many questions. Do the Windsors exclusively honor British spellings, or did they allow California native Markle to slip a few American words in there? What other quiz-based games did they play, and were any of them royal trivia? And how does a person ever summon up the guts to tell the Queen of England that actually, ma’am, there are two Ls in “trellis?”
Earlier on Christmas, Meghan, Kate, Harry and William joined Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, for church service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene at Sandringham. During that outing, too, the two women seemed to be chatting amiably. Maybe Meghan, whose first child with Harry is due in the new year, was asking Kate, mother of three, for advice?
Five days later, the Queen returned to St. Mary Magdalene for Sunday church service. Per The Daily Mail, “While usually accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh on such occasions it seems that the Queen’s husband had remained home today and she was instead accompanied by a female companion. Prince Philip, 97, had also been absent from the Christmas Day service.” Also absent were the Windsor foursome, but Her Royal Majesty was accompanied by her son Prince Edward, his daughter Lady Louise Windsor, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne and her husband.
Avoiding Sunday morning church service with the in-laws? Again, just so very normal!
Related: How Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, and Prince William Spent Christmas 2018
A Brief History of Royal Wedding Dresses
Notably, for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank on October 12, 2018, Princess Eugenie chose to wear a dress by Peter Pilotto that specifically showed off the long scar down her back. The scar was from a major back surgery she underwent as a 12 year old, to cure scoliosis. Today, Princess Eugenie is the patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, the hospital that did her surgery. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
At her wedding in May 2018, Meghan Markle wore a gown by British designer Clare Waight Keller. Her veil featured embroidery of flora representing all 53 Commonwealth countries, as well as a poppy, the flower of Markle’s home state of California. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Kate Middleton wore a custom gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, made in English and Chantilly lace and satin gazar, for her wedding to Prince William on April 29, 2011. The dress featured roses, lily, and shamrocks and was made using 19-century needlework techniques. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall wore an overcoat and dress designed by Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine, with shoes by L.K. Bennett, for her wedding to Charles, the Prince of Wales, on April 9, 2005. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images. Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, wore a design by Samantha Shaw, and was able to take of the coat-like layer to reveal and evening gown for revelry after the official ceremony on June 19, 1999.
For wedding to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, on July 23, 1986, Sarah Ferguson wore a dress by Lindka Cierach, which was beaded with heart and anchor symbols. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Princess Diana wore a silk taffeta gown with a 25-foot train, and a 153-yard long veil by David and Elizabeth Emanuel for her wedding to Prince Charles on July 29, 1981. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
For Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips ceremony in 1973, the princess wore a dress designed by Maureen Baker for Susan Small, and featured elegant draped sleeves. It was quite close to the wedding dress trends of the time.
A look at Princess Elizabeth, future Queen Elizabeth II, on her wedding day to Prince Philip on November 20, 1947. The fabric for the wedding dress had to be purchased using ration stamps, as in 1947, the British government was still rationing many products. The designer, Norman Hartnell, embroidered jasmine, lilac, and other flowers on the dress, whose design was said to be inspired by the Botticelli’s Primavera. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Inspired by the drop waist style ushered in by Coco Chanel, the embroidered gown was created by Queen Mary’s court dressmaker, Madame Handley Seymour, for Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon for her wedding to the Duke of York (and later George VI) on April 26, 1923. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
