Royal expert Katie Nicholl opened up about the royal family’s dynamics in her book The New Royals

Royal expert Katie Nicholl’s brand-new book, The New Royals, was released back in 2022, and in it, she’s revealed King Charles’ nickname for Meghan Markle.

In the book, Nicholl breaks down some of Queen Elizabeth II and her family’s biggest moments, along with various sources and reporters – giving fans of the royals an inside look into their dynamic.

The expert claims that Charles gave Meghan this nickname when she began her life as a working royal, after allegedly seeing she was able to hold her own in front of the public as a member of the royal family.

A royal expert revealed what King Charles referred to Meghan Markle as when she joined the royal family
(Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Nicholl also noted that the meaning behind the nickname was evident in Meghan’s first joint appearance, alongside her husband Prince Harry, Prince William, and Princess Kate during the Royal Foundation Forum where she spoke back in February 2018.

Speaking of the event, the expert wrote: “It was, according to one aide, the moment William and Kate, who was heavily pregnant, realised they needed to up their game.

“The Cambridges had already signalled their intention to be more than ‘ornamental royals’ and had, along with Harry, made a huge success of their mental health campaign Heads Together.”

She continued: “But Meghan was the breakout star of the foursome.

“She was polished, passionate, and funny, using all her TV-honed skills to present her case. That was a wake-up moment for William and Kate when they realised that Meghan was very impressive, very confident, and very capable, according to a source.”

Charles reportedly called Meghan ‘Tungsten’ due to her ‘toughness and resilience’ (KIRSTY O’CONNOR/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Nicholl, it was this which prompted Charles to give Meghan the nickname of ‘Tungsten’.

“Charles reportedly nicknamed his future daughter-in-law ‘Tungsten’ because of her toughness and resilience,” she wrote.

Elsewhere in the book, Nicholl also shared her insight into Meghan and Harry’s wedding in May 2018, noting the Queen’s concern that her grandson had never met his father-in-law, Thomas Markle, who Meghan had a strained relationship with.

“It was the Queen’s feeling that Meghan should sort things out with her father and that Harry should have met Thomas before the wedding, reveals a close family friend,” she penned.

“She thought the whole thing could have been better handled. From a practical point, the Queen did what she could for the family’s newest member and given Meghan’s boots-on-ground approach made sure the new duchess had the support she needed.”

Nicholl also added that, according to a source, Harry became ‘almost morbidly obsessed’ with keeping his son Archie’s birth as private as possible.