According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward in her book My Mother and I, Prince Philip reportedly referred to Meghan Markle as “D.O.W.”. The initials were said to stand for “Duchess of Windsor,” a direct reference to Wallis Simpson. Simpson, an American divorcée, married King Edward VIII after he abdicated the throne in 1936, a decision that reshaped the monarchy and caused lasting resentment within the royal family.
Seward explains that Philip was not necessarily commenting on personality, but on what he viewed as striking parallels. Both women were American, both were divorced before marrying into the royal family, and both were glamorous figures who ultimately left royal life behind with their husbands. To Prince Philip, those similarities were, in his words, “uncanny.”
The comparison carries heavy historical weight. Wallis Simpson became one of the most controversial figures in royal history, blamed by many for Edward VIII’s abdication and long exile. Being likened to her is widely seen as anything but flattering within royal circles.
Wider tensions within the royal family
