Prince Philip’s ‘secret nickname’ for Meghan Markle as new details emerge about Prince Harry’s feud with Prince William

The late Prince Philip allegedly referred to Meghan Markle by a coded name over her “uncanny” resemblance to a controversial figure.

The feud between Prince Harry and Prince William started before the younger brother’s relationship with Meghan Markle, a palace insider has claimed.

Rumours that there was a feud between the brothers Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales began in 2018 when,as reported by The Sun, Prince William questioned the speed of Prince Harry and Meghan’s engagement.

Prince Harry later hinted in his documentary Harry and Meghan, An African Journey that he and his brother had grown apart.

But now it has emerged that the royal rift was allegedly caused by the brothers’ differing approaches to wildlife conservation in Africa.

Prince Harry and Prince William put on a united front for the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, in Kensington Palace in 2021. Picture: AFP

The brothers hold an African rock python during a visit to Mokolodi Education Centre in Botswana in 2010. Picture: Getty Images

A source told The Times: “They are both very passionate about saving protected species but didn’t always share the same view about how to run projects in Africa.

“William believes you should focus on community-led schemes where local people over time feel empowered to protect the land.”Harry, on the other hand, was more interventionist. He felt that you need a more hands-on approach to ensure wildlife habitats were securely protected to enact change quickly.”

In his explosive tell-all memoir Spare, Prince Harry claimed his brother “knocked him to the floor” during an argument about Meghan.

It comes after it emerged that Prince Philip referred to Meghan as “D.O.W” after the Duchess of Windsor — the American divorcee who sparked the abdication crisis when Edward VIII stepped down as monarch in order to marry her.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Queen’s funeral in September 2022. Picture: Getty Images

Meghan Markle allegedly reminded Prince Philip of Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who changed the line of succession. Picture: AFP

Royal expert Ingrid Seward has revealed in her new book My Mother And I that Prince Philip felt it was “uncanny... how much Meghan reminded him of the Duchess of Windsor”.

And he warned the late Queen to be “cautious” of Prince Harry’s then bride-to-be.

“He wasn’t simply referring to the fact that both were pencil-slim, dark-haired and glamorous American divorcees,” Seward wrote.

Although the late Queen is said to have “approved” of Meghan, she did think that her Givenchy wedding dress was “too white” considering how she had been married before.

Before meeting Prince Harry, Meghan was married to American film producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 until their divorce in 2014.

Originally published as Prince Philip’s ‘secret nickname’ for Meghan Markle as new details emerge about Prince Harry’s feud with Prince William