She also revealed that she was in ‘ripped jeans and barefoot’ when she met Kate Middleton (Picture: Netflix)

Meeting the Queen for the first time was described as a ‘bit of a shock to the system’ by Meghan Markle.

When she and Harry first started dating, Elizabeth II was the first senior member of the Royal Family she interacted with in person.

In Harry and Meghan’s new Netflix documentary, the Duchess of Sussex revealed she had little warning before meeting the monarch.

She said: ‘It was surreal.

‘I didn’t know I was going to meet her until moments before. We were in the car and we were going to the Royal Lodge for lunch, and Harry was like “my grandmother is there, she’s going to be here after church”.

‘I remember being in the car and he was like “you know how to curtsey right” and I just thought it was a joke.’

Harry then mused ‘How do you explain that to people? That you have to bow to your grandmother, or curtsey. Especially to an American.

‘My grandmother was the first senior member of the royal family that Meghan met. She had no idea what it consisted of so it was a bit of a shock to the system for her.’

Meghan Markle explained how she had little warning before meeting the Queen (Picture: Getty Images)

Meghan’s first meeting with the Queen did go well, but the wider Royal Family took longer to warm to the relationship, the documentary claimed.

Harry then stated they [the Firm] ‘didn’t think it would last’.

He told the documentary: ‘I remember my family meeting her and being incredibly impressed.

‘Some of them didn’t quite know what to do with themselves, they were surprised.

‘The fact I was dating an American actress was probably was what clouded their judgement more than anything else at the beginning, like “oh this wont last.”‘

Meghan echoed his comments, adding: ‘The actress thing was the biggest problem funnily enough and what that looks like from a UK standpoint.’

She also explained the first time she met her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, when she came over for dinner with her husband.

Meghan said: ‘Even when Will and Kate came over, I was in ripped jeans and barefoot.

The Duchess of Sussex was in ‘ripped jeans’ when she met her sister-in-law (Picture: Getty)

‘I was a hugger, always been a hugger, I didn’t realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits

‘I started to understand very quickly that the formality carries on on both sides.’

The Harry and Meghan documentary, of which three parts have been released today, has also showcased several unseen messages sent between the pair.

In episode two, the couple discussed their proposal during a picnic in Kensington Gardens.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

She also revealed that she was in ‘ripped jeans and barefoot’ when she met Kate Middleton.