EXCLUSIVE Late Queen would be 'highly offended' Meghan is still using HRH title - as it emerges Duchess has sent the same card for at least six years
Meghan Markle's insistence on calling herself Her Royal Highness would have 'highly offended' the Queen as MailOnline can today reveal she has been sending the same HRH card for at least six years.
The former actress, 43, has sparked controversy after her friend Jamie Kern Lima shared a picture of a food hamper with a note that said it was 'With the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex'.
Meghan's spokesman has denied she is flouting the Megxit deal agreed with the late Queen and insisted the Sussexes do not use HRH titles for commercial purposes. But Meghan sometimes calls herself Her Royal Highness to friends and in private correspondence, a source close to her has said.
Royal commentator and biographer Ingrid Seward, editor in Chief of Majesty Magazine, said: 'The Queen didn't remove HRH but told them not to use it.
'I think if her late grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth was still around she would be highly offended, as she was very sensitive about that. She wouldn't think it was the correct form'.
MailOnline can reveal that the HRH message Meghan sent with ice cream and jam to Ms Kern Lima is the same as those used by her when she was a working royal.
It exactly matches the note she sent to novelist Matt Haig from her desk at Kensington Palace six years ago after he wrote a poem she included in the issue of British Vogue she guest-edited the magazine in September 2019.
It is not known how often she has sent the card with her royal cypher since then, but a source close to the Sussexes has admitted Meghan does use HRH privately with friends.
Harry and Meghan's agreement with the late Queen and senior officials was that they would stop using the word 'Royal' and their HRH titles after they quit duties and emigrated to the US to become 'financially independent' from the Crown.
Ingrid Seward told The Sun: 'Remember she removed the HRH titles from both Diana and Sarah Ferguson'.
Jamie's hamper image suggests that Meghan does use it with friends and in personal correspondence.
A spokesman for the Sussexes has insisted today that they do not use HRH titles for commercial purposes.
But critics have said that the image of the note with some organic ice cream and jam, published yesterday, was a tacit plug for Meghan's As Ever lifestyle range, while also promoting her new podcast episode with her friend Jamie.
A source close to the royal couple suggested that the image shared by Jamie Kern Lima was taken before the Duchess launched her As Ever brand in early March.
In the podcast, Jamie Kern Lima claimed that she had been sent the jam last year.
The Sussexes have never had their HRH taken away by Queen Elizabeth II or King Charles.
The source close to the couple said that while Meghan and Harry do not publicly use 'HR H', their titles remain.
The 'HRH, The Duchess of Sussex ' note was spotted on a card by eagle-eyed royal fans yesterday.
The gift basket was sent to Meghan's friend, CEO of IT Cosmetics Jamie, when she had in-laws staying and the Duchess wanted to help out.
A screenshot of the hamper has since circulated online after featuring on Jamie's podcast on Sunday - and appears to feature the Duchess' homemade strawberry jam.
The basket also includes two jars of Straus organic ice cream, some flowers, mint, and the note with Meghan's royal title embellished on it.
Royal fans have reacted furiously to the name on the card this evening, with one writing on X: 'I thought they couldn't use HRH?'
Another said: 'She's not to [use] it per the Queen!'
Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in January 2020 and embarked on a new life together in California.
In a statement at the time Buckingham Palace said: 'The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.'
HRH, an abbreviation of His/Her Royal Highness, is used as part of the title of some members of the royal family.
Since their exit, Meghan has often appeared to make thinly veiled swipes at the Royal Family, most recently claiming in a new podcast episode that her and Harry were 'in the trenches' when they first started dating.
In her first ever podcast interview, Meghan opened up to Jamie about her family life in Montecito with Harry and their children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
Meghan revealed she was sending the youngsters an email every day to create a 'time capsule' they could revisit when they are older.
The mother-of-two became emotional as she read out a letter from them which read: 'From Archie and Lili via Papa. We love your cooking. We love your pancakes and we love, love, love your hugs. You're the best mummy and we love you.'
Referring to the note, Meghan said: 'So sweet. I also love that it's mummy, instead of mommy, which is very British.'
Blinking back tears, she added: 'I wasn't expecting this, they're just so great. This is why it's so nice to have no make up on, thank you.'
During the podcast, released on Sunday, the Duchess also spoke of her relationship with Harry, saying she was more in love than she's ever been before making a seemingly pointed remark that some have interpreted as a swipe at the royals.
'You have to imagine, at the beginning it's all butterflies - but then we immediately went into the trenches together,' she said.
'Right out of the gate, like six months into dating. So now seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way. And that's why I feel like it's more of a honeymoon period for us now.'
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