One expert has claimed the Queen, 93, “doesn’t have an intimate relationship” with Kate Middleton, 37 — but Meghan Markle “makes her laugh”.

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told The Sun: “The Queen admires Kate tremendously but does not have an intimate relationship with her as they don’t have much in common.

“I think the Queen and Kate have a more serious relationship as obviously Kate holds all the Queen’s hope for the future and she would not want to do anything to upset that.”

She added: “I can’t see what she would have in common with Kate apart from her royal duties.

“The common bond with Kate would be her children and I can’t imagine the Queen spending too much time talking about them; she is a very shy woman, which is why a common subject like horses is so helpful.”

While her relationship with Kate may be slightly more formal, Her Majesty does have a touching bond with the Duchess of Sussex, 37, who officially joined the family last May when she married Prince Harry, 34.

Seward, the author of My Husband & I — the story of the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70-year marriage, said: “With Meghan she would tread very carefully and do her best to make her feel at home.

“They have a love of dogs in common and Meghan knows how to make her laugh.”

This certainly seems the case from when the Queen and Meghan giggled their way through their first joint public engagement in Cheshire last year.

Seward added: “The Queen has an acerbic wit and of course is an excellent mimic so she can be very entertaining — but she never forgets she is Queen even with her grandchildren.”

And while the Queen is close to her grandsons, Prince William, 37, and Prince Harry, they don’t see that much of each other, according to the royal editor.

Seward explained: “William is different as he is her grandchild and she took the trouble to get to know him when he was at school at Eton.

“Before that she saw very little of him as he was at the mercy of his warring parents and their divided lives. It is the same with Harry.

“But Harry has a quick wit and sense of humour which she likes so she gets along well with him when she sees him.”

Seward also said that the Queen is closest to royal family members she spends the most time with.

Her Majesty is very close to her eldest granddaughter Zara Tindall, 38, her ex-rugby star husband Mike, 40, and her brother Peter Phillips, 41 — and the royal expert claims she has a “tighter bond with them than she does with Kate and William”.

She said: “I think the Queen is closest to Peter and Zara as they were their first grandchildren and have always been the favourites.

“She’s at her most relaxed around them; as a child she used to give Zara a smack around the legs when she was naughty, which was frequently.”

The Queen is also said to feel close to the Tindall couple, as she prefers “ordinary people like Mike more than she does those that pander to her”.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and is published here with permission.