Duke of Edinburgh used the shorthand from ‘the moment he detected apparent similarity’ between the American actresses

Prince Philip nicknamed Meghan Markle “DoW” because she reminded him so much of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, a new book has claimed.

Prince Philip was “one of the few wary of succumbing to her charm offensive”, it has been reported, and used the shorthand “DoW” from “the moment he detected her apparent similarity to Wallis”.

A new biography by Ingrid Seward, an author and editor of Majesty Magazine, claims the late Queen “approved” of Prince Harry’s fiancee at first, but later described her wedding dress as “too white” for a divorcee.

“Much later,” says Seward, “she would remark in her clipped way that perhaps Harry had been ‘too in love’ with the American actress”.

In a section serialised in the Daily Mail, Seward writes: “From their very first meeting, over tea at Buckingham Palace, the Queen approved of Meghan Markle. Not only did she like her, she had high hopes for what the American actress might be able to achieve with Harry for the youth of the Commonwealth.

Whole country took to Meghan

“Soon the country as a whole seemed to take to Meghan with equally genuine delight.

“One of the few wary of succumbing to her charm offensive, however, was Prince Philip.

“While the Queen continued to champion Harry’s new love, he warned his wife to be cautious. It was uncanny, he told her, how much Meghan reminded him of the Duchess of Windsor.”

In 1936, when Princess Elizabeth was 10, her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne, citing his love for the American divorcee he wanted to marry. He and Wallis Simpson became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, all-but exiled from the Royal family and living overseas.

Windsors disgraced Britain

They went on to disgrace the new King and country by travelling to Germany to meet Hitler and were photographed giving Nazi salutes.

The Queen Mother never forgave them, blaming the abdication for the early death of her husband – Elizabeth II’s father – George VI.

Seward adds that Prince Philip was not simply referring to physical appearance, and their lives as “glamorous American divorcees”, but also the impact Mrs Simpson had had on the British monarchy.

Lady Elizabeth Anson, a cousin of the late Queen, is quoted as saying she only made one remark to her about the Sussexes’ wedding: that her gown was “too white”.

“In the monarch’s view, it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal,” says Seward, who also claims Elizabeth II was “uncomfortable” with the then-Prince of Wales deputising for Ms Markle’s father Thomas to walk her up the aisle.

Late Queen ‘hated’ long sermons

In a series of claims about Her Late Majesty’s thoughts, the book states that she was “startled by the impassioned outpourings of the American Archbishop Michael Curry, who spoke for more than 14 minutes”, as she and Prince Philip famously hated long sermons.

“According to Lady Elizabeth, the Queen was dismayed by Harry’s high-handed attitude both before and after the wedding, and their relationship was ‘quite badly damaged by it all’,” Seward writes.

“It was even more damaged when Harry decided to give up being a working royal and leave the country – a decision, said Lady Elizabeth, that the Queen never truly understood.”

After the Oprah Winfrey interview, it is claimed, Prince Harry’s grandmother “couldn’t condone the way he was speaking about the institution of the monarchy she’d spent 70 years preserving”.

“At that point the Queen decided there was no longer any point in worrying about Harry as he wasn’t going to take notice of anyone but his wife,” the book says.

My Mother And I by Ingrid Seward will be published by Simon & Schuster on February 15.