King Charles’s One-Word Nickname for Meghan Markle Revealed—and Its Surprising Meaning
A royal family nickname can reveal more than a formal title ever could. In Meghan Markle’s case, the word reportedly chosen by King Charles was unusual, almost scientific—and surprisingly complimentary.
Long before royal family tensions dominated headlines, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, reportedly had a private name for his future daughter-in-law. It was not a familiar shortening of Meghan’s name, nor a traditional royal pet name. According to reports that first emerged in 2018 and were later revisited by royal author Katie Nicholl, he called her “Tungsten.”
The story is intriguing precisely because the word sounds so unexpected. Tungsten is a remarkably heat-resistant metal, and the comparison was reportedly Charles’s way of acknowledging Meghan’s toughness, resilience and strong personality. But the history behind the nickname is also a reminder of a period when their relationship appeared warmer than later headlines suggested.
Image: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at an official engagement in New Zealand in October 2018. Photo: Office of the Governor-General of New Zealand, CC BY 4.0.
What does King Charles’s nickname “Tungsten” actually mean?
Tungsten is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, it has the highest melting point of any metal and is used in applications that require materials to tolerate extreme heat. Its durability makes it a natural metaphor for someone who stays composed under pressure.
That, according to royal reporting, was the idea behind Charles’s choice. Rather than suggesting that Meghan was cold or inflexible, the nickname was described as a compliment to someone who could withstand intense scrutiny and support Prince Harry through public life.
The comparison is particularly striking given the expectations Meghan faced when she joined the royal family. She was already an established actress with a public profile and her own career before marrying into an institution associated with tradition and protocol. Stepping into a much bigger international spotlight demanded a different kind of stamina.
Of course, a nickname is not a scientific assessment of anyone’s personality. The claim reflects the interpretation of unnamed sources and royal commentators, not a public explanation from Charles himself. Still, it sheds light on how Meghan was reportedly perceived at an important early stage.
Image: A sample of tungsten, a metal valued for its exceptionally high melting point. Photo: Jurii, CC BY 3.0.
How the unusual royal nickname became public
The name “Tungsten” surfaced in press reports in June 2018, shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding. A source quoted in reporting by Charlotte Griffiths for the Mail on Sunday portrayed Charles as admiring Meghan’s strength and the support she gave his son. The source described the nickname as a “term of endearment.”
Several years later, the story received renewed attention through Katie Nicholl’s 2022 book, The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown. Nicholl wrote that Charles reportedly used the name because of Meghan’s resilience. The book’s account helped introduce the detail to readers who had missed the original coverage.
That distinction matters: the nickname was not newly invented or revealed in 2025 or 2026. It was already being reported in 2018, when Meghan had only recently joined the royal family. Nor is there a verified public recording of the King personally using the word. It remains a widely reported account, rather than an on-the-record quotation from him.
When Harry and Meghan’s relationship first made headlines
To understand why the nickname attracted attention, it helps to look back at how the relationship entered public view. Reports that Prince Harry was dating American actress Meghan Markle appeared in late October 2016. By November, the growing scrutiny had become so intense that Harry issued an unusual statement condemning harassment directed at her.
The timing also reportedly caught Charles’s office off guard. As recounted in Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s book Finding Freedom, Charles and his team had been preparing for a diplomatic tour in the Gulf when news of Harry’s relationship began dominating coverage. The authors described frustration about the potential distraction from that official work.
Even if the initial announcement produced awkward headlines, it did not predetermine how Charles would feel about Meghan. By 2018, the public had seen the couple attend family events and begin taking part in royal engagements. Stories of Charles’s reported admiration emerged against that backdrop—not at the height of the later family dispute.
Image: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2017. Photo: Mark Jones, CC BY 2.0.
The 2018 appearance that reportedly impressed the family
One event often linked to Charles’s opinion of Meghan is the Royal Foundation Forum on February 28, 2018. Meghan appeared alongside Harry, Prince William and Catherine, then Duchess of Cambridge, for a discussion about their charitable work. It was the foursome’s first official joint Royal Foundation engagement.
The appearance gave Meghan an opportunity to speak publicly about issues important to her before her wedding. She discussed women’s empowerment and argued that women already have voices but need the support and opportunity to use them. Her confident delivery attracted significant attention from the press.
Nicholl later suggested that the forum helped highlight Meghan’s self-assurance and ability to handle a prominent public role. This is the kind of resilience that reporters have linked to the “Tungsten” story. It is important, however, not to overstate what is known: no official royal statement says that Charles coined the nickname at that precise event.
The forum still provides helpful context. At that point, the four younger royals were publicly presenting a shared charitable agenda. Whatever complications followed, that early image of cooperation was a significant part of Meghan’s introduction to the institution.
A memorable wedding gesture from Charles
If the nickname suggested private warmth, one gesture at Harry and Meghan’s wedding offered a more visible sign. On May 19, 2018, Charles accompanied Meghan for the final portion of her walk down the aisle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, before she married Harry.
It was a highly symbolic moment. Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, did not attend the ceremony amid health concerns. The palace had previously announced that Meghan had asked Charles to accompany her, and that he was pleased to welcome her to the royal family in this way. Meghan herself had issued a statement asking that her father be given space to focus on his health.
The moment was widely interpreted as a gesture of support from the father of the groom to the bride. It also provided a human image that stood apart from the grand scale of the televised ceremony: someone stepping forward to help a family member on an emotional day.
That history is why the “Tungsten” nickname still fascinates royal watchers. It belongs to a chapter when the relationship between Meghan and Charles was often described in positive terms and when both appeared together at family occasions.
Image: Prince Harry and Meghan during their carriage procession after their May 2018 wedding. Photo: Londisland, CC BY 3.0.
How the relationship changed after Harry and Meghan stepped back
The story took on a different meaning in January 2020, when Harry and Meghan announced plans to step back from their positions as senior working members of the royal family. A later agreement confirmed that they would no longer carry out official royal duties in the same way. In 2021, Buckingham Palace announced that they would not return as working royals.
The couple moved to the United States, where their interviews, media projects and accounts of their experiences generated sustained public debate. Relations with parts of the royal family were widely reported as strained. For readers looking back at 2018, the contrast between a reported affectionate nickname and subsequent disagreements is difficult to miss.
Yet it would be misleading to treat a word from the early relationship as proof of Charles’s current feelings. Families change, personal relationships develop out of public view, and reports about private conversations often depend on sources who are not speaking for everyone involved.
The original story tells us something about an earlier impression of Meghan. It cannot, by itself, tell us what the King now says about her in private.
Image: Prince Harry and Meghan attending official engagements in New Zealand in 2018. Photo: Office of the Governor-General of New Zealand, CC BY 4.0.
What King Charles has said publicly about Harry and Meghan
One of the clearest public statements came after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022. In his first address as King, Charles explicitly expressed his love for Harry and Meghan while acknowledging that they were building a life outside the usual working-royal structure.
That statement did not settle the family’s private disagreements. It did, however, offer a documented public expression of affection that stands apart from anonymous-source reports. It is an important detail when evaluating claims that all warmth between Charles and the Sussexes disappeared overnight.
A further development arrived in 2026. Reuters reported that Harry, Meghan and their children had returned to Britain, while remaining non-working members of the royal family. In an interview published on October 20, 2026, Harry said he hoped to reconcile with his father and brother and move beyond past disputes. Those comments are evidence of Harry’s stated wishes—not confirmation that every disagreement has been resolved.
Does King Charles still call Meghan “Tungsten” today?
There is no reliable public confirmation that he does. The reports explaining the nickname refer to the earlier years of Harry and Meghan’s relationship, especially the period surrounding their 2018 wedding. Without a recent direct comment from Charles or Meghan, it would be speculation to claim that the name is still used.
That uncertainty does not make the original account uninteresting. In fact, it explains its longevity. “Tungsten” is both a memorable word and an unusually revealing reported compliment. It suggests that, at least according to those who described the nickname, Charles recognized qualities in Meghan that the public was also watching closely: confidence, endurance and a willingness to express herself.
The meaning of the nickname is therefore clearer than its present-day status. What it tells us about the future of their relationship remains an open question.
Frequently asked questions
What is King Charles’s one-word nickname for Meghan Markle?
Royal reports say he called her “Tungsten,” a reference to the resilient, heat-resistant metal. The name was reported in 2018 and later discussed in Katie Nicholl’s 2022 book The New Royals.
Why would Charles choose a metal as a nickname?
The comparison was reportedly intended to celebrate Meghan’s toughness and ability to handle pressure. Contemporary reporting described it as affectionate rather than insulting.
Did King Charles officially confirm the nickname?
No widely documented public statement from Charles personally confirms that he uses it. The claim comes from royal reporting and accounts attributed to sources familiar with the family.
Did King Charles walk Meghan Markle down the aisle?
Yes. Charles accompanied Meghan for part of the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, after her father could not attend because of health concerns.
Are Harry and Meghan still working royals?
No. They stepped back from official working-royal roles in 2020, and their non-working status remained unchanged following their reported return to Britain in 2026.
The lasting meaning of one unexpected word
The most surprising part of Charles’s reported nickname for Meghan is not simply that he chose a metal. It is what the word was said to represent. “Tungsten” was reportedly a compliment about strength, not a criticism of Meghan’s place within the family.
Today, the circumstances surrounding Harry, Meghan and Charles are far more complicated than they were in 2018. But the original report preserves a small, intriguing glimpse of a more hopeful period. Whether the nickname is still spoken privately is unknown. Its meaning, however, has been clear from the beginning: a recognition of resilience under pressure.
Sources and further reading: Newsner’s original article · 2018 nickname coverage · Katie Nicholl’s account · Royal Foundation Forum · Royal wedding announcement · Meghan’s statement about her father · 2020 palace statement · King’s 2022 speech · Reuters, October 2026 · Royal Society of Chemistry