Sarah Ferguson recounts her tense first encounter with Meghan Markle at London’s Soho House in 2016, revealing how early misunderstandings, harsh public judgment, and Meghan’s visible vulnerability foreshadowed the turbulent royal scrutiny that would later engulf her, leaving Fergie both sympathetic and regretful that no one protected Meghan sooner.

In a revelation that has electrified royal watchers and reignited long-simmering tensions surrounding the Duchess of Sussex, Sarah Ferguson—better known to the world as Fergie—has finally confirmed what she witnessed during Meghan Markle’s now-infamous “Soho House Day,” an episode whispered about in royal circles since late 2016 but never fully explained until now.

Speaking during a private literary event in London last week, where she was promoting her latest historical novel, the Duchess of York drifted unexpectedly off-script when an audience member asked her about the first time she met Meghan.

What followed, according to attendees, was an unguarded, emotional, and at moments startlingly candid retelling of an event she says “set the tone for everything that came after.”

The story takes place in early November 2016, at Soho House in London’s Dean Street—a discreet, members-only club favored by actors, executives, and the more glamorous wing of the British aristocracy.

At the time, Meghan was in the early stages of her relationship with Prince Harry, and though their romance had quietly captured the attention of palace aides, very few members of the royal family had met her.

Ferguson, long known for her warmth toward newcomers even as she navigated her own complicated royal history, was among the first relatives adjacent to the family to cross paths with the future duchess.

According to Fergie, the meeting unfolded under unexpectedly chaotic circumstances.

She recalls being ushered into a dim, velvet-lined lounge where Meghan was waiting, poised yet visibly nervous.

“She stood up straight away and said, ‘I hope I haven’t caused trouble,’” Ferguson recalled, describing Meghan as “eager to make the right impression but terrified she already hadn’t.

” At that moment, Harry entered the room, “flushed, out of breath, clearly worried,” saying, “Sorry—there’s been a bit of confusion outside.

” Fergie told the audience that staff at the private club had failed to recognize Meghan when she arrived alone earlier that afternoon and briefly questioned her presence—an incident that left her shaken.

“She was embarrassed,” Fergie said softly.

“And I could see it.”

Ferguson went on to explain that the awkward encounter did not end there.

As they sat down for tea, a stranger at a nearby table—a well-known fashion columnist, though Fergie refused to name her—recognized Meghan from Suits and loudly whispered something that caused Meghan’s shoulders to tense.

“I won’t repeat the comment,” Ferguson told the room, “but it was dismissive.

It was the kind of remark women in the public eye hear too often, and it hurt her.

” Meghan reportedly murmured to Harry, “This is exactly what I was afraid of,” to which Harry replied, “It’ll be different when they know who you are.

” Fergie said the exchange, brief as it was, foreshadowed the storm of scrutiny that would follow Meghan for years.

“I remember thinking, ‘This girl is walking straight into a hurricane,’” Ferguson admitted.

“And I knew exactly what that felt like.

” Drawing a parallel to her own struggles with the tabloids, she added that the episode reminded her of the time she herself had been tailed by paparazzi after her separation from Prince Andrew.

“I recognized that look—the look of someone trying to stay composed while the ground shakes beneath her.”

Fergie also revealed an unexpected twist: despite the tension of the afternoon, she found Meghan “incredibly sincere, very funny, and much more vulnerable than people might imagine.

” She recalled Meghan joking that Soho House had become a “second home” to her and Harry in the early months of their relationship.

“Harry laughed and said, ‘You’re the only person who can walk into a room here and make everyone stare without knowing whether it’s admiration or suspicion.

’ She rolled her eyes, but I think she knew he was right.”

The fallout from this Soho House encounter, Ferguson hinted, continued to echo as Meghan’s relationship with Harry intensified.

“People think the problems started later, but the signs were already there,” she said.

“The curiosity, the judgment, the sense that everything she did would be interpreted in ten different ways—it was all present that day.

” She claimed that after the meeting, she advised Harry privately: “Protect her early, because once the tide turns, there’s no turning it back.

” Harry, she said, nodded and replied, “I know.

I’m trying.”

Those who attended Ferguson’s talk described the atmosphere as “stunned,” with one witness noting that Fergie seemed both protective of Meghan and critical of the environment surrounding the royal family at the time.

“She wasn’t attacking anyone,” the attendee said.

“She was just telling the truth—her truth.

And it was clear she’s been holding it for years.”

The revelation sparked immediate reaction across social media, as royal commentators, fans, and critics debated the significance of the story.

Some argued that it offered rare context for the pressure Meghan faced from the outset, while others interpreted Ferguson’s comments as a subtle critique of palace handling of the situation.

Either way, it has reignited questions about the early dynamics between Meghan and the rest of the royal institution, and why so many red flags were ignored.

Fergie ended her anecdote on a reflective note, saying, “Maybe that day was a warning.

Maybe we should have listened better.

” As she closed her book and prepared to leave the stage, she added quietly, “Meghan deserved a softer beginning.”

The room, according to multiple attendees, fell completely silent.

Then, applause.