Queen Camilla writes to author who once called Meghan Markle 'phoney' and 'unmaternal'

Queen Camilla has penned a personal letter to bestselling American author Emily Giffin, who has previously made controversial comments about Meghan Markle.

Giffin, known for her 2005 novel 'Something Borrowed', revealed on social media that she received the letter from Camilla in July, following their meeting at a literary event earlier this year.

Giffin had faced widespread backlash in 2020 after she criticised Meghan Markle in a series of Instagram posts.

In response to a video of Meghan reading to her son, Archie, on his first birthday, Giffin labelled the Duchess of Sussex as "unmaternal" and "phoney".

These comments sparked outrage, leading Giffin to issue an apology, to which Meghan Markle never replied publicly.

Despite Giffin's controversial past, Queen Camilla expressed her pleasure in meeting the author during the Queen's Reading Room literary festival at Hampton Court Palace earlier this summer.

In the letter, shared by Giffin on Instagram, Camilla wrote that she "much looked forward to reading [Giffin's new novel] in the peace and quiet of Scotland," and added, "It was a great pleasure to meet you", hoping their paths would cross again soon.

The Queen's correspondence with Giffin has raised eyebrows, as it is unclear whether Camilla was aware of Giffin's previous remarks about Meghan Markle when she wrote the letter.

When the intial backlash broke, Giffin posted on her social media: "To be clear, I absolutely loved that a biracial, American woman was marrying into the Royal Family.

"It seemed a wonderful, happy thing for everyone. I celebrated their wedding by hosting a gathering here at my home and posting many, many photos. Further, I was appalled by any signs of racism against her."

She added: "Over recent months my feelings about both Harry and Meghan changed. But I can say from the bottom of my heart that my criticism of Meghan has never had anything to do with her race.

"Further, I understood why she wanted to leave the monarchy and carve out her own path. I do, however, find fault with the way both she and Harry handled things, and those feelings bled over in later posts, including the ones today.

"I can see how some of my posts may have felt mean-spirited and could be construed as having racial undertones. It was not my intent, but I understand that intent and impact are two very different things. And I am truly sorry for that negative impact."

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the letter.