Girl On A Train! Her Majesty Mentors Meghan

The duchess is already on the right side of the Queen.

If anyone doubts the impact that the new Duchess of Sussex is already having on the royal family, they need only look at this week’s journey to Chester.

Unaccompanied by Prince Harry, Meghan will be travelling with the Queen – and the significance has not escaped those closest to the monarch.

“At 92, the Queen is increasingly looking for support from younger members of the family,” an old friend of Her Majesty tells Woman’s Day. “She’ll never abdicate – it’s simply out of the question – but taking Meghan with her on this trip is both a sign of deep approval, and of a growing need to hand over duties and responsibilities.”

More than that, the Queen and the duchess will be staying together on the royal train the night before. There will be plenty of time to talk – and for Meghan, 36, to learn what her new role entails.

“It’s astonishing how quickly she’s been invited into the very centre of the royal family,” says a courtier. “Neither Harry nor Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge have ever been allowed to use the royal train, and it was 10 months before Kate was asked to accompany Her Majesty on an official visit – and that was in the company of the Duchess of Cornwall.”