King Charles reportedly once had a striking nickname for Meghan Markle — one that revealed how he truly saw the Duchess of Sussex in her early days as a royal.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been at the center of public attention since stepping down as senior working royals in 2020. Though the couple have built a new life in California, they remain a constant topic of discussion in both the British press and international media.

The public rift between the Sussexes and the royal family first burst into view during their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan alleged that there had been conversations within the family about how dark their son Archie’s skin might be. Harry later clarified that neither Queen Elizabeth II nor Prince Philip had made the remarks, but the couple have never revealed who did.

Harry also criticized the royal family for failing to confront the “colonial undertones” in media coverage of Meghan, pointing out that while female MPs had spoken up in her defense, his own relatives had remained silent — something he said “hurt.”

Even before the Oprah interview, Harry had repeatedly condemned the press. In November 2016, shortly after their relationship became public, Kensington Palace issued a statement on his behalf denouncing the racial overtones in media reporting and the harassment Meghan faced. He described the treatment as dangerous, saying: “This is not a game — it is her life.”