Meghan Markle to pass royal ‘initiation’ at Balmoral Castle with Queen Elizabeth
Meghan Markle is already a royal but she still needs to go under initiation. It will reportedly be Queen Elizabeth herself who will lead the “Balmoral test,” which many royal brides have undergone.
According to Express, Meghan and Prince Harry will spend some time with the Queen at Balmoral Castle in the coming weeks. This was apparently in line with custom as Meghan would be “initiated” into the royal life.
“An invitation to Balmoral, where the Queen is expected to remain until September, is traditionally part of the initiation into the Royal family,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the publication.
It was Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who took the first Balmoral initiation test. “The Balmoral ‘test’ was initially passed by Diana who was later unhappy and bored there.”
It has allegedly been called a rite of passage for the royal brides, which included Diana and her sister-in-law, Sarah Ferguson. Fitzwilliams did not say what goes on in the Balmoral Castle during the test, but it appears the visit itself is the initiation.
He said that he hoped the Duchess of Sussex would enjoy her stay in the Scottish estate, though. Although her late mother-in-law wasn’t fond of staying in the castle, Meghan could find it more enjoyable, given her growing friendship with Her Majesty.
“Meghan’s relations with the Queen are excellent especially after the success of their joint visit to Cheshire in June and the omens are extremely propitious for a highly successful visit,” he said. “Harry, after all, reportedly introduced Meghan to the Queen at Balmoral last September.”
Meghan celebrated her 37th birthday on Saturday by attending a wedding with Harry. It is expected that she received many presents from well-wishers, as well as from businesses and private entities. However, she would have to return most of them as Royal guidelines state prohibitions on accepting gifts.
