A previously unseen video shows the Queen offering to share a blanket with Meghan Markle after their first engagement together.
The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey about the monarch’s kind gesture in her bombshell interview.
Footage of the touching moment has now emerged amid the ongoing royal row, shot in Cheshire in June 2018
The minute-long clip, filmed a month before her wedding, shows Meghan, 39, and the Queen, 94, making their way to a car.
They get into the vehicle after saying goodbye to waiting dignitaries – when the monarch appears to offer the throw.
The duchess told Winfrey, 67, and millions of viewers how the monarch said “Meghan, come on” and put her blanket across them both.
The video was filmed by Eileen Owens, 56, who was watching the interaction from The Coach House Inn.
The is pub owned by her husband Leslie Owens, 62, and the pair looked on with delight at the time.
But Eileen said they “had no idea of the significance of that moment” until the interview with Oprah.
Meghan and the Queen had gone on an overnight rail trip to Cheshire to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge.
They had been greeted by cheering crowds in Chester, and also joined the rest of Britain in observing a minute’s silence to remember the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire on its first anniversary.
Eileen said of the video: “At the time it just seemed like a sweet gesture – it seemed like they were quite close.
“The two seemed to be chatting and getting on quite well and the Queen really seemed to like Meghan.
“It wasn’t just the Queen that liked her either.
“Everyone watching seemed to adore Meghan – people watching were screaming her name.”
Meghan told Oprah: “The Queen has always been wonderful to me (…) I really love being in her company.
“We were in the car going between engagements and she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth, and it was chilly.
“She was like, ‘Meghan, come on’ and put it over my knees as well.
“It made me think of my grandmother, she’s always been warm and inviting, and really welcoming.”
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Eileen and Leslie were watching the interview when they realised Meghan was describing a moment they had witnessed first-hand.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard Meghan telling that story, because I knew exactly what she was referring to.
“I just thought ‘wow’ when I found the video on my phone.
“At the time we were watching, it didn’t seem too important – but it obviously was for her.
“For that moment to spring to Meghan’s mind, and for her to recall it on TV three years later shows it meant a lot to her.”
The video was taken after a visit to the town hall, when the pair left via a police station exit.
It comes a day after Buckingham Palace released a statement in response to allegations made by Meghan in the interview.
It said: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.
“Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
Meghan had claimed in the sit-down that a unnamed royal had enquired about the colour of her unborn child’s skin.
The Queen is said to be likely to quiz Prince Charles and Prince William – among others – in private about the allegations.
