If the late Queen Elizabeth had a warm heart for Meghan Markle upon first meeting, Prince Philip, we heard last week, had a different opinion. It is said that he privately called her 'DoW' – Duchess of Windsor.

This revelation, courtesy of biographer Ingrid Seward, has caused much amusement, at least on the British side of the Atlantic.

Meghan certainly has her detractors, although not as many as those of her predecessor Wallis Simpson in recent decades.

Today, the Duchess of Windsor is best known as a scandalous figure; her reputation was destroyed by its embroilment in the 1936 abdication crisis, something neither the royal family nor the British public have forgiven.

Popularly, Valais remains an adventurer whose ambitious marriage to Edward VIII almost destroyed the monarchy. 'DoW' was not intended to flatter.

Research for my new book reveals a very different woman, but one with talent, charm and, coincidentally, a fair degree of diplomatic skill – qualities that the British royal family could certainly have used then and now.

It seems Meghan was already earning this disparaging nickname before “Megxit” sparked the inevitable comparisons between Prince Harry and his great-uncle, Edward, the Duke of Windsor.

It's true that both men married American divorcees and ended up in exile abroad, although I'm inclined to believe that's where the analogies end.

Prince Philip was right, however: their choice of respective consorts warrants some reflection, albeit not quite in the way he imagined.

Neither Meghan nor Wallis are cut from the mold of traditional royal brides. Slender, American and divorced, they were women who met their princes as successful, established adults.

Their previous lives had been marked by family instability, but their personal – and in Meghan's case, professional – success had marked them as both independent and surprisingly confident women.

After climbing the American ladder of success, they were seemingly unfazed by the grand British environment they suddenly found themselves in. While their confidence shocked more traditional observers, it endeared them to their respective spouses.

The fact that neither of them knew anything about the world they had suddenly found themselves in seemed to have been unimportant to both of them, at least at first.

Wallis did not suffer from her constitutional ignorance until she reached the point of no return: the abdication. If Meghan is to be believed, she hadn't even Googled Harry's family tree before their first date and thought bowing to his grandmother the Queen was something that only happened on film.

Faced with such deep divisions – and, even in Meghan's case, the rigid expectations of a culture and class (at least those that still rule palace life), acceptance was clearly an uphill battle.

Of course, Meghan got to see a lot that Wallis didn't. She was welcomed into the family by a grand royal wedding, considering the style of Her Royal Highness and offered a career as a senior working royal.

Expectations were high initially and many, including the current king, saw the benefits that Meghan's more diverse background brought to the family portfolio.

While it's probably impossible to know what really happened in the breakdown of her relationship with “The Firm,” it seems hard to imagine that a clash of cultures wasn't partly responsible.

At times, Meghan's approach seemed surprisingly informal, even endearing. Why should she be bound by the formality of a royal congress? Does she really have to wear a hat just because the Queen planned to do so on their first (and as it turned out, only) engagement?

Yet this unscrupulous approach sat uncomfortably with those who, more privately, encountered her American overdrive, which – while fundamental to her past performance – was likely ill-attuned to the demands of Kensington Palace.

Adjectives such as 'difficult' and 'demanding' quickly emerged. Such labels, too often passed on to ambitious, career-driven women, also reflect a fundamental breakdown of life behind the palace walls.

But whatever criticisms might be leveled at Meghan of late, there was an undeniable ease and freshness in the way she went about her duties as a working royal, no doubt a product of her background and personality. She was – at first – loved.

The Duchess of Windsor received similar praise during the five years she spent in the Bahamas while Edward was Governor General.

Stylish, charming and known for her ability to captivate a room. Her performance was underrated, but it begs the question of what would have been if she had been given the same opportunities as Meghan.

Wallis might have heralded a new era for British royal women – one that fundamentally, and much sooner, changed expectations of what an acceptable royal consort was.

It might even have allowed for a more modern perspective on the merits of a young Camilla Shand as a suitable future wife for the then Charles, Prince of Wales.

If that other story had played out, Meghan would have been happy to be called the “DoW.”

• Jane Marguerite Tippett is author of Once A King – the lost memoirs of Edward VIII, published by Hodder & Stoughton, price £25

Brock Davies got into a heated conversation with Scheana Shay – and her mother – about his wife's mental health issues.

During a new episode of Vanderpump Rules, which aired on Tuesday, February 6, Scheana, 38, candidly discussed her OCD diagnosis after welcoming her and Brock's now 2-year-old daughter, Summer. Scheana struggled to leave her child due to intrusive thoughts, but she took a big step by asking a friend Tori Keeth to babysit on a trial basis.

“If you could help out for a night or two when we need to be somewhere and she needs to be put to bed, that's really all I'm looking for from you,” Scheana told Tori, 24, while Brock, 32, and her mother, Erika van Olphen, sat in the same room. “Someone I would also trust if he were to leave.”

Brock then made a comment about Scheana's “inability to let things go,” which upset her and Erika.

“That's not what it is. Just shut up,” Scheana said before Brock asked, “OCD… Or what is it? Why did you get so triggered?”

The conversation took an emotional turn when Scheana broke down in tears, adding, “Because she's my everything and I'm not just going to leave her with anyone.” I say this is really a big deal to me. To enlist someone else to help. That's why I said, 'Let's start with Tori. Because I feel comfortable with that. Please.'”

In response, Brock went on the defensive by pointing out that they wouldn't “just leave” Summer with a random person.

'Why are you saying please to me? I have been asking for this for months,” he noted as he detailed this in a confessional. “I just miss my wife having a good day. Before we had Summer, we were such a juggernaut at getting things done. For Scheana, simple daily tasks can become monumental and overwhelming. It's quite a thought process. The problem is that if there are a lot of 'what if' questions, we don't get anything done.”

Erika tried to explain to Brock where Scheana was coming from, saying, “I just think sometimes you have to validate her feelings.”

Brock didn't seem happy with the suggestion that he doesn't support Scheana. He tried to argue his side of the story, but ended up arguing with Scheana and Erika.

“There are two of you right now validating her feelings. All I do is support you and I try to help with that,” Brock commented as Erika shook her head. 'Do not [disagree]. You surround yourself with yes people.”

Erika quickly dismissed the idea that her daughter relied on her. “I raised two daughters who don't need anything from me. Do you need my help or are you asking for my help with Summer? Yes,” she replied. “But that doesn't mean Scheana isn't one of the most independent people I know.”

Erika continued: “You have come far and I am so grateful to your therapist for that. And you for the work you put into it. And your friendship with [Tori] helped so much.”

By the end of the conversation, Scheana was able to empathize more with her husband's point.

“I think he says this because he feels like I always have to ask for your opinion, your approval and your assurance. He feels like sometimes you help too much and it's a hindrance,” she noted. “I hope I can get to a place where I'm not afraid to do things alone with my daughter. Where I'm not working every day about something bad happening to her, or to Brock, or to my mother. I want to be able to enjoy the moment and not think that this is the last moment.”

After Scheana, Erika and Tori all got emotional over the reality star's fluctuating mental health, Brock tried to find the positive in their tense conversation.

“That's why I wanted to talk about it. Because we needed to talk about it clearly,” he said as the group laughed.

Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8pm ET and will be available to stream on Peacock the following day.

Lisa Snowdon found herself in a heated argument with Ann Widdecombe over menopause on Wednesday.

The two ladies made guest appearances on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine show, where discussion quickly turned to the importance of opening up more conversations about menopause, which Lisa also talks about in her book Just Getting Started.

The 51-year-old presenter, who herself went through an early menopause, argued that talking about menopause was “swept under the carpet for a very long time” and that women had to “suffer in silence”, which was “not acceptable”.

However, 75-year-old Ann hit back, saying she grew up in a generation where women had to fight for equality and just “deal” with the transition, suggesting that points like Lisa’s undermine what they’ve been through.

The pair subsequently clashed over their views, with Lisa labeling the former MP’s views as ‘old-fashioned’, while Ann said her personal health issues were not Lisa’s or anyone else’s business.

After being asked by host Jeremy, 58, her thoughts on menopause, Lisa, who has always been open about her own journey, said it was good for women to be given the right support and diagnosis.

She went on to reveal statistics of women wanting to quit their jobs, leave their husbands, and even commit suicide, adding, “To me, that’s no longer acceptable in this society because it affects everyone, not just women.”

She said she was only 42 when she first started having symptoms and had felt “very lost, very alone and very unwell.”

The TV star added that she has also spent a lot of money to find the right answers and that with her book she wants to speed up the diagnosis of women and save them from spending so much money.

She added that she wants the conversation to be “even louder” and for the men to recognize what is happening to the women in their lives.

Jeremy then pointed out that Ann stood “firmly” next to Lisa, and had assumed she was dissatisfied with Lisa’s comments about the menopausal diagnosis, when in fact she was an “apart of life.”

Ann replied, “I’m brushing for a completely different reason.” I belonged to that generation of women who fought for true equality in the 1970s.

“And one of the things we were always told was, ‘If we have equal rights at work, what about women? They’re hopeless when they go through menopause. They’re hopeless every month!’

“I used to get this tripe thrown at me all the time. And we fought it really hard and we said “no, nonsense! Women can just handle those things”. And now we seem to be asking for the final concession and consideration for something quite normal.’

While Lisa agreed that the transitional phase in a woman’s life is indeed “normal,” she dug into the fact that Ann said she “had to cope,” pointing out that women shouldn’t struggle with it.

The model then stated that views like Ann were an “old-fashioned attitude,” suggesting that Ann was “really lucky” that she wasn’t suffering from the severe symptoms many women have.

The ex-Tory minister then said she doesn’t discuss these things, before pointing at Lisa and saying, “It’s none of your business!” And it’s certainly not how many million viewers you have? It’s none of their business!’

Jeremy tried to ease the tension by asking Ann if, like Lisa, she could help another woman by talking openly about it.

To which Ann replied, “If I had struggled, I would have gone to my doctor.” I had to go on with my stay in the House of Commons, during that time, the late sittings and all the rest, and I never heard a woman complain.

‘Since we didn’t complain, why are we doing it now?!’