She doesn’t talk about it often, but, apparently, Meghan Markle‘s faith has always been very important to her. When a group of her friends recently sat down with People to clear up nasty rumors swirling about the Duchess, they also revealed that she keeps God very close in her everyday life.

“Meg is extremely faithful,” one friend said. “We pray a lot together. We meditate. She has had, and especially has now, a very close relationship with God.” Before Meghan, 37, married Prince Harry in May 2018, she showed his famous grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, how important religion is to her by getting baptized into the Church of England in a secret ceremony.

Meghan Markle
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“A deep sense of gratitude and humility has guided her,” Meghan’s friend shared. “We can still be modern women and feel all the feels with feminism and be strong moms and strong wives but understand that [our] relationship [with God] is so critical.”

After the Suits alum married the Duke, 34, in one of the most beautiful royal weddings to date, a rumor emerged that she wanted to spray St. George’s Chapel with air freshener before her guests arrived. “I can’t think of anything more ridiculous,” another one of Meg’s close confidants said about the royal’s alleged demands. “If people knew how spiritual she is and how serious and respectful she takes her relationship with God — she would never ask for something like that. The day after the wedding I said, ‘You were so serene.’”

Since becoming a royal, a lot of rumors have spread about the former actress, but her friends are putting them all to rest. “She and Harry are both very grounded. She has a firm understanding of the things she can and can’t control. And she tries not to put any effort into the things she can’t control,” her pal explained. “She really lives in the current moment. And when you do that, there’s no fear.”

Meghan Markle
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“Her lifestyle can be very isolating. The rest of us get to go out, see each other for coffee, just go, ‘I’m having a [bad] day, I’m going to have lunch or do a little shopping.’ She can’t,” the friend continued. “So you kind of have to look inward and go, ‘How can I be part of my own solution?’ And that’s really challenging.”

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