King Charles Gave Meghan Markle an Unusual Nickname When She Was a Working Royal – Find Out What It Was

Former employees have reportedly dubbed her as “Duchess Difficult,” while it recently surfaced that her ex-colleagues at Spotify referred to her as “Eva,” inspired by a movie character known for her diva behavior.

However, among all the nicknames Meghan Markle has received, the one her father-in-law, King Charles, reportedly gave her may be the most bizarre.

As per reports from the Daily Mail, there was a disclosure that before assuming the throne, King Charles once nicknamed the Duchess of Sussex as “Tungsten.”

The then Prince of Wales reportedly nicknamed Meghan after the metal because he saw her as a “tough” and “unbending” individual.

Although it may seem like a harsh nickname, Charles is said to have used it to compliment the former actress’s personality during her and Harry’s early days as working royals.

The nickname first surfaced in 2018, when a palace source told Charlotte Griffiths of the Mail On Sunday that Charles admired Meghan’s “strength.”

“Prince Charles admires Meghan for her strength and the backbone she gives Harry, who needs a tungsten-type figure in his life as he can be a bit of a softy. It’s become a term of endearment,” the source said.

Tungsten, known for its core strength and high melting point, is the strongest naturally occurring metal on Earth. Its significant properties reportedly made it clear that Charles used it to praise his daughter-in-law Meghan.

While Charles’ nickname for Meghan may have been one of praise, his father, the late Prince Philip, reportedly had a scathing nickname for the Duchess of Sussex.

According to a book by Royal Biographer Ingrid Seward, Philip, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 99, used to call Meghan the “Duchess of Windsor.”

The nickname refers to the title held by American socialite Wallis Simpson. She was the infamous U.S. divorcée who married Edward VIII in 1937 after he controversially abdicated the throne for her.

In Seward’s book “My Mother and I,” she claims that Philip always said Meghan and Simpson’s resemblance was “uncanny.”

“He wasn’t simply referring to the fact that both were pencil-slim, dark-haired and glamorous American divorcées,” she wrote, per the New York Post,

One significant similarity between Meghan and Simpson is that they were divorced women before marrying into royalty. Meghan was married to film producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2014 and started dating Harry in 2016.

More recently, it was revealed that former Spotify staff who worked with Meghan on her Archetypes podcast had a stinging nickname for the mother or two.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, royal correspondent Neil Sean revealed that the Duchess of Sussex was called “Eva,” a nod to the 1955 film “Queen Bee” starring Joan Crawford.

He said, “Ex-staff members… told me they decided to christen her ‘Eva,’ and this was used as a warning signal to let people know that she was either arriving or on the warpath.”

Sean added that it “wasn’t an engaging pet nickname,” explaining that it “came from the 1955 camp classic ‘Queen Bee’ starring the ultimate diva… herself – Joan Crawford… This is because, like the Joan character [Eva Phillips], she stung her victims to pieces. This is exactly how staff felt about working alongside [Meghan].”

However, Meghan was apparently unaware of the moniker during her time at Spotify.

Before Vanity Fair‘s bombshell exposé on Harry and Meghan, which highlighted scathing allegations against the couple by former staff and Montecito residents, The Hollywood Reporter published an equally stinging article about the royal couple.

The publication reported that Meghan earned the nickname “Duchess Difficult” from her staff in the U.S.

Sources had said that the former actress is known for “belittling people” and ignoring advice.

An insider at the time also criticized Harry, describing the duke as “charming” but an “enabler” of his wife’s behavior.

“She belittles people, she doesn’t take advice,” the source told the publication. “They’re both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently. Harry is a very, very charming person — no airs at all — but he’s very much an enabler. And she’s just terrible.”

These claims were mirrored by more allegations against the couple in Vanity Fair‘s February cover story, where staff described Meghan as “awful” to work with.

Alleged residents of Montecito also labeled the royal duo “local villains,” claiming Meghan commercialized the town’s understated charm.

While Harry and Meghan have not directly addressed the scathing report, a source close to the couple told The Times that the pair found the allegations “distressing.”

Close associates of Harry and Meghan also told The Daily Beast that the pair are disheartened by the accusations, particularly given their challenging situation: Harry’s legal battles in the U.K. and Meghan’s highly anticipated Netflix show being postponed.

The Sussexes allegedly feel the bombshell cover story “has succeeded in making a bad time worse.”