When she first entered the Firm, the Duchess of Sussex is credited with getting Harry and Charles closer together.

In a BBC documentary in 2017, Harry expressed his admiration for his father for the first time in public, saying, “He was there for us [after Diana’s death]; he was the one out of two left and he tried to do his best and to make sure we were protected and looked after.”

“It is thought this was done with Meghan’s encouragement, after the American former actress stressed the importance of Harry remaining as close to ‘the one parent you have left,’” royal columnist Camilla Tominey wrote in The Telegraph.

Meghan was close to both of her parents at the time, and Harry has talked publicly about his hardships since Princess Diana’s death in 1997, when he was left with just one parent.

When Meghan first joined the royal family, Charles was liked her passion for British history and the arts, so he was was a big fan.

Harry even told Oprah that Charles had been “amazing” when Meghan first joined the royal fold.

… It’s obvious that Meghan Markle and her father, Thomas Markle, have a tense relationship at the moment. He officially hasn’t seen Meghan in years and didn’t attend her wedding to Prince Harry.

Meghan and the royal family were rocked by Thomas’s public appearances. He often talked to the media without royal permission, mocked the monarchy, and also informed the Daily Mail in late July 2018 that “Perhaps it would be easier for Meghan if I died.”

Finding Freedom, a recent biography about the Sussexes, explores Meghan’s intimate friendship with her father-in-law. When Meghan’s own father, Thomas, let her down, the Prince of Wales stepped in for him both physically (walking her down the aisle) and figuratively.

Meghan “found such a supportive and loving father in Charles, which has really changed her life for the better,” according to a friend of the Duchess’s. Meghan regarded Charles as a “second father.” rather than a father-in-law, the friend reveals.

Fortunately, these sentiments were shared. A friend of Charles’s said in Finding Freedom that the Prince of Wales had “taken a real shine to Meghan. She’s a sassy, confident beautiful American. He likes very strong, confident women. She’s bright and she’s self-aware, and I can see why they’ve struck up a very quick friendship.”

Meghan revealed on Twitter before her wedding that her father would “not be attending our wedding.” “I have always cared for my father,” she said, “and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.”

Later, Prince Harry talked about how he requested his father to lead his fiancée down the aisle on their wedding day.

“I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming and he immediately said, ‘Yes, of course, I’ll do whatever Meghan needs and I’m here to support you,'” says the author. In the documentary Prince, Son, and Heir: Charles at 70, Harry reveals.

“For him that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support, and you know he’s our father so of course he’s gonna be there for us.”

Despite the drama, Meghan’s entrance into the royal family with Prince Charles at her side was a stunning moment. Meghan’s mum, Doria Ragland, happily witnessed her daughter walk down the aisle in the absence of her father, and has subsequently attended royal activities such as Meghan’s first charity cookbook reveal.