Queen Elizabeth Had a 'Cryptic' Response When Harry Asked if He Could Marry Meghan: 'You Have...'

Queen Elizabeth allegedly had a cryptic, nine-word response when Prince Harry sought her blessing to marry Meghan Markle. Her reply reportedly caught Harry completely off guard, and it became one of the most talked-about moments of his courtship of Markle.

Royal tradition dictated that Harry get his grandmother's permission. The first six people in line for the throne must always ask the monarch for approval before getting engaged. In his controversial memoir Spare, Harry revealed how he brought up the topic of his marriage with his grandmother. During a family visit to Sandringham, he found a quiet moment together and made his intentions clear. As reported by The Mirror, Harry awkwardly said, "I've been told that I have to ask your permission before I can propose.” To this, the Queen replied, "You have to? Well then, I suppose I have to say yes." The Queen was known for her cheeky sense of humor, nevertheless, her response shocked Harry as he was left unsure how she felt about Markle. Having got her blessing, he eventually proposed to Markle at their Kensington Palace home.

Reflecting on his grandmother's words later, Harry wrote, "I didn't get it. Was she being sarcastic? Ironic? Deliberately cryptic? Was she indulging in a bit of wordplay? I'd never known Granny to do any wordplay, and this would be a surpassingly bizarre moment (not to mention widely inconvenient) for her to start, but maybe she just saw the chance to play off my unfortunate use of the word 'have' and couldn't resist." He recalled standing there, trying to grasp her words, until it suddenly clicked that she had permitted him. He then expressed his gratitude, calling the moment fabulous. Harry and Markle later shared a romantic photo from the night of their engagement. It featured Harry kneeling on a blanket, holding a ring box in one hand and their dog’s collar in the other, surrounded by white roses.

As reported by TODAY, Markle also spoke about the proposal. She said, “It was just an amazing surprise. It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee. As a matter of fact, I could barely let you finish proposing. I said, ‘Can I say yes now?’” Harry added, “It was a really nice moment. It was just the two of us. And I think I managed to catch you by surprise as well.” Harry and Markle first met in July 2016 on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend. The Prince hadn’t heard of Markle, and she only knew a little about him.

on this day six years ago, prince harry proposed to meghan markle ??? pic.twitter.com/jqthqQYLCY

— maelle (@marklercel) November 4, 2023

During a photocall in the gardens of Kensington Palace after their engagement announcement, Harry was asked when he knew Markle was the one. Without hesitation, he answered that it was the moment they first met. The Prince also said that finding someone like Markle to marry was just like finding a needle in a haystack, and he realized that the best thing to do next was to ask her to be his wife, as reported by TODAY.