Prince Philip is said to have had a very brutal nickname for his grandson’s wife Meghan Markle – but one that he didn’t use “to her face”. The late royal, who died just weeks before the birth of Princess Lilibet in 2021, is said to have seen many “similarities” between Meghan and the late Wallis Simpson.

Much like Meghan, Wallis – who died in 1986 – was American and was a divorcee. Royal expert Ingrid Seward previously wrote: “While the Queen continued to champion Harry’s new love, he warned his wife to be cautious. It was uncanny, he told her, how much Meghan reminded him of the Duchess of Windsor.

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

Previously appearing on GB News, Ms Seward also spoke further on Meghan’s nickname. She added: “I think Prince Philip was very canny about people and he didn’t always see the bad in them, he tried to see the good in them.

“I think he just couldn’t get away from the fact [of the] similarities between Meghan and Harry and Edward and Mrs Simpson.”

“There are so many similarities which is why he used to call her The Duchess of Windsor, I mean not to her face.”

Revealing the late royal’s nickname for Meghan, he added: “We used to call her dow – DoW [the abbreviation for Duchess of Windsor].”

Wallis Simpson became one of the most controversial figures in modern royal history – with Edward VIII making the decision to abdicate in December 1936 so he could marry her.

In her book, My Mother and I, Ms Seward wrote: “One of the few wary of succumbing to (Meghan’s) charm offensive… was Prince Philip.”

She added: “From the moment he detected her apparent similarity to Wallis, he referred to her as DoW.”