Meghan Markle's ‘very discreet tea party’ with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly visited Buckingham Palace for a private tea time with Queen Elizabeth. The report fuels talks about the couple’s road to engagement.

Markle’s “very discreet tea party” with the queen and Harry was reported in the Daily Mail by authoritative royals columnist Richard Kay. The prince and his girlfriend reportedly arrived in a Ford Galaxy station wagon.

According to the Daily Mail report, Harry “desperately wanted” to introduce the American actress to Queen Elizabeth. But there have been reports that the “Suits” star and Queen Elizabeth may have met earlier in Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Markle and Harry are believed to be dating for at least 15 months, and she has been a “regular visitor to the Prince’s Kensington Palace home.”

Sources reportedly said the tea time was “deliberately informal.” Kay wrote, “In part it was to settle any nerves Meghan might have felt but also to ensure it was not widely publicised within the palace.”

Markle’s tea time with Harry’s grandmother took place after the queen’s summer break at Balmoral Castle. They were not joined by Prince Philip, who has been spending recent times at Sandringham, according to the report. Spokespeople at Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace are yet to comment about the alleged tea party.

Harry and Markle made a public appearance together last month at the Invictus Games in Toronto. They were also photographed holding each other’s hands. Before their public debut as a couple, Markle officially admitted her relation with the prince, saying they were “two people who are really happy and in love.”

Harry is currently fifth in the line of succession. He will be pushed to sixth since Prince William and Kate Middleton will be having their third baby. But he still has to have the monarch’s permission to marry.

And if Harry proposes and decides to tie the knot with Markle, there are suggestions the wedding will take place at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Some fans expect that the couple will announce their engagement by Christmas time.

Last week, Harry helped host a party for mental health professionals in the palace. He also joined the queen this week for a private reception of a charity, the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

Harry features on the organisation’s new website. The prince has taken a prominent role in some projects for the Commonwealth, particularly in those focused around young people and the environment.