It’s time for the honeymoon period for the new Duchess of Sussex, both literally and figuratively. Literally, Meghan and Prince Harry will be going on their honeymoon, if they haven’t left already. And for the rest of the year – if not longer – Meghan in particular will be enjoying a honeymoon period with the British press. It’s already started – British reporters and royal-watchers were full of praise for Meg and Harry’s authentic emotions throughout their wedding. They were praised for actually pulling it off so well, especially considering the drama in the week prior with Thomas Markle. And Meghan is being praised and will continue to be praised for the enthusiasm and “sparkle” she’s bringing to her duchess-ing. Don’t believe me? Read this piece by Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast. Meghan is praised up and down, and Sykes even suggests that – GULP – Meghan could actually teach the Duchess of Cambridge a thing or two about hitting the ground running, being truly KEEN, and not treating her duchess role with “sullen resignation.”

The Daily Mail also had a fascinating piece about how Meghan has helped Harry grow closer to his father, and how Charles is quite enchanted with his new daughter-in-law as well. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

William & Harry have grown closer to Charles in the past year: The DM’s sources say “that the past few months have seen a remarkable thawing between Charles and Harry – and that the person behind this about-face is the Prince’s new bride, Meghan. William too has been far from deferential towards Charles. Palace insiders say that the Duke of Cambridge has even been known to raise his voice at his father. And when Charles chose to maintain a dignified silence during the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death last year, there was speculation this was an expression of a family rift.”

Meghan is the key to William & Harry repairing relations with Charles: “Meghan has brought with her a new and unexpected dynamic, and not just because she, too, has grown up negotiating a fractured family. More than that, it is her newfound relationship with Charles that is proving to be key. ‘Meghan met Charles and was bowled over by his charm,’ said a family source. ‘She told Harry he was wonderful: welcoming, warm, hard-working kind and stable. She made it clear that he should appreciate him and bond more.’

Charles adores Meg, and he’s been telling his friends about her, saying: ‘She is so intelligent and so nice. She makes Harry happy. We could not like her more.’ Never before had Charles shown so much support towards one of Harry’s girlfriends, and Harry was visibly moved. ‘There has been a wedding bonus for all the family: a sort of mega-watt warming effect,’ said the friend.

Meghan & Charles share the same interests: Meghan has actively charmed her new father-in-law. She consulted Charles about the music for the wedding, while the Prince of Wales has taken time to discuss the complexities of life in ‘The Firm’. It helps that Meghan is fascinated by Royal history – more so than her husband – and sources say she is poring over lever-arch files of notes as she studies the Commonwealth. Charles sees his work ethic and his passion for philanthropy reflected in Meghan, who has campaigned to raise awareness of women’s issues. It will not have escaped his notice that she shares his belief in organic food.

Camilla adores Meghan too: “Camilla, too, has played her part as a sort of ‘super-granny’, dispensing humorous, down-to-earth advice to Meghan. It is understood that the two ‘outsiders’ have become friends – they were seen clasping hands as they greeted one another at the Palace on Tuesday.”

William has noticed that Charles is growing closer to Harry & Meg: “In the days before his work as a full-time Royal, William notably preferred to concentrate his energies on his own young family rather than spend time with his father in the West Country or London. There has been relentless competition and a definite froideur between William’s court and that of Charles. Yet today, even he is said to be defrosting under Meghan’s influence.

[From The Daily Mail]

There’s stuff in there about how the Queen is taking a keen interest in Meghan too, but their only evidence of that is that the Queen’s former aide is giving Meghan duchess lessons, which… I mean, I believe the Queen had a hand in that, but I think it’s more like Meghan understands that she has a lot to learn, and the royal family respects the fact that she’s asking them for help.

As for the rest of it… it’s no secret that Harry and Charles are closer now than they’ve possibly ever been. I never believed that Harry had a deep estrangement from Charles though – William was always the one with a chip on his shoulder about Charles. I think Harry always got along better with Charles in general, which is why Harry introduced Meghan to Charles so early in their relationship. I believe Meghan probably did charm the crap out of Charles, and they probably see a very solid alliance with each other in future years. The William aspect of this is fascinating though, because it reads like… sibling rivalry and jealousy. A little boy who throws a tantrum about mean old daddy and then daddy pays more attention to little brother and suddenly the little boy wants daddy to pay attention to him again! Stomp, stomp, a tantrum is coming.

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, Backgrid.