<p id=”par-1_73″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-william/”>Prince William</a> apparently had some very <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/princess-lilibets-6-words-really-stuck-meghan-markle.html/”>sweet words for Meghan Markle</a> when they met. According to a royal biography, the Prince of Wales, 42, who <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-harrys-reportedly-fighting-losing-battle-meghan-markles-eyes-reaching-out-william-kate-she-thinks-hes-mak.html/”>no longer speaks</a> to his brother and sister-in-law, didn’t start with hello. Instead, he remarked how much he’d been “looking forward” to meeting the Duchess of Sussex, 42. Ahead, what William said to Meghan when <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-harry/?swcfpc=1″>Prince Harry</a> introduced them. Plus, how Meghan “freaked” William out when they met. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-he-admitted-to-looking-forward-to-meeting-meghan-nbsp-nbsp”>He admitted to ‘looking forward’ to meeting Meghan </h2>
<p id=”par-2_26″>In <em>Finding Freedom</em>, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand revealed what William’s first words were to Meghan when the Duke of Sussex introduced them in 2016. </p>
<p id=”par-3_52″>“I was looking forward to meeting the girl who has put that silly grin on my brother’s face,” William told his future sister-in-law (via <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/prince-williams-opening-line-first-33170086″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Mirror</a>). At the time, Harry and Meghan had already been dating for some time following back-to-back dates in London, England, in July 2016 and a trip to Botswana. </p>
<p id=”par-4_25″>They met at William and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/kate-middleton/?swcfpc=1″>Kate Middleton</a>’s <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-harry-reportedly-said-kate-middleton-almost-prisoner-kensington-palace.html/?swcfpc=1″>Kensington Palace home</a> before the brothers left for a “shooting trip,” Harry recalled in <em>Spare</em>, his 2023 memoir. </p>
<p id=”par-5_24″>At the time, the Princess of Wales, 42, was “out” with the couple’s children; Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.</p>
<p id=”par-6_37″>Meghan’s introduction to William happened after she had an unplanned meeting with Harry’s grandmother, the late <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/queen-elizabeth-ii/”>Queen Elizabeth II</a>, at the Royal Lodge, the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/king-charles-may-shake-up-the-royal-property-portfolio-leaving-royal-lodge-vacant-prince-andrew.html/”>home of Prince Andrew</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/sarah-ferguson/”>Sarah Ferguson</a>, following a quick <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/body-language-expert-points-out-prince-harry-discomfort-during-meghan-markle-mock-curtsy-moment-netflix-documentary.html/?swcfpc=1″>lesson on curtsying</a>.</p>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-william-recoiled-when-meghan-hugged-him”>William ‘recoiled’ when Meghan hugged him</h2>
<p id=”par-7_27″>Harry shared more details of how Meghan and William met, admitting along the way he’d felt more “nervous” about introducing Meghan to his brother than the queen. </p>
<p id=”par-8_21″>“The door opened and there was my big brother, a bit dressed up. Nice trousers, nice shirt, open collar,” Harry wrote. </p>
<p id=”par-9_27″>Then came a “classic collision of cultures” when Meghan “leaned in and gave him a hug.” It “completely freaked him out,” Harry recalled, noting William immediately “recoiled.” </p>
<p id=”par-10_30″>“Willy didn’t hug many strangers. Whereas Meg hugged most strangers,” he explained. “The moment was a classic collision of cultures, like flashlight-torch, which felt to me both fun and charming.” </p>
<p id=”par-11_45″>“Later, however, looking back, I wondered if it was more than that,” he continued. “Maybe Willy expected <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/meghan-markle-disrespectful-mock-curtsy-during-documentary-caught-body-language-experts-attention-shes-told-this-joke-before.html/?swcfpc=1″>Meg to curtsy</a>? It would’ve been protocol when meeting a member of the royal family for the first time, but she didn’t know, and I didn’t tell her.” </p>
<p id=”par-12_23″>“When meeting my grandmother, I’d made it clear—this is the queen. But when meeting my brother, it was just Willy, who loved <em>Suits</em>.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_22″>Harry went on to say William quickly “got over” Meghan’s hug and that his now-wife and brother “exchanged a few warm words.” </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-meghan-on-meeting-kate-for-the-first-time”>Meghan on meeting Kate for the first time</h2>
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<p id=”par-14_27″>In <em>Harry & Meghan</em>, the December 2022 Netflix docuseries on the couple, Meghan recalled meeting her future sister-in-law when William and Kate had dinner at Nottingham Cottage. </p>
<p id=”par-15_39″>“When Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time—they came over for dinner—I remember I was in ripped jeans, and I was barefoot,” Meghan said. (Harry recalled <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-harry-noticed-marked-difference-meghan-markle-kate-middleton-met.html/”>noticing the difference in attire</a> in <em>Spare</em>.) </p>
<p id=”par-16_43″>“I was a hugger. I’ve always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she continued. “I guess I’d start to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside, carried through on the inside.” </p>
<p id=”par-17_38″>At the time, she thought the royal family had a “forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door, and you relax now. But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me.” </p>