What Happened Between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton?
• The British Royal Family is steeped in intrigue and admiration
• Meghan Markle and Catherine Middleton have a strained relationship
• Tension between the two couples started when Meghan tried to modernize the monarchy
• Further tension arose during Meghan's wedding in 2018
• Mutual admiration and respect between the two couples was seen during Queen Elizabeth II's memorial service
Idols rise, glimmer, and fall like the stars, staying relevant only for as long as they can reinvent themselves, but it is the opinion of some that royalty shines like the moon and sun.
No matter how the times change, the UK’s royal family will always be in the crosshairs of the media as a source of intrigue and (mostly) admiration. From time in history to recent years, the royals remain the talk of the town.
Whether for oh-so-scandalous reasons or for their valued contribution to whatever humanitarian movement is relevant, the world simply can’t stop appreciating England’s royalty.
Opinions about them differ greatly among their audiences and admirers though, as some display approbation towards their flaunted wealth or latest fashion trends, while others openly discuss their impassioned distaste for the Lords and Ladies of Buckingham Palace.
Either way, the royal family has never failed to provide the British public and least, and often the countries of the Commonwealth, with riveting entertainment, and the recent escapades of Buckingham Palace most certainly do not disappoint.
While the world continues to mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, the English monarchy became host to a number of recent controversies, but the topic up for discussion among most of their admirers is the apparently tenuous relationship between Catherine Middleton and Meghan Markle.
Following a couple of cold exchanges in public, including glaring stares candidly caught on camera, suspicions regarding an unspoken rivalry quickly became apparent.
Now, with the release of Harry and Meghan’s tell-all documentary grabbing everyone’s attention, it’s even clearer that things between the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex are heating up.
This, however, leaves the public wondering what exactly happened between Kate and Meghan to cause such apparent animosity. According to several experts on the royal family, there might be numerous causes, but the true reason can only be debated.
Whatever the case may be, it seems clear that the media and many admirers of the royal family side with the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate. Over the past few years, it seems as though both Harry, who stepped away from his royal duties, and Meghan have fallen out of the people’s favour.
A Fair Welcome to Royal Drama
In 2016 Meghan Markle, a former actress from California best known for her role in the series ‘Suits’, first earned her place in the royal tabloids after rumours surfaced suggesting that she’d become romantically tied with the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry.
By the following year, the rumours had escalated to the pint that the couple’s admirers awaited the announcement of a new royal wedding, while the British Royal Family eagerly welcomed the actress to the halls of royalty, or so it seemed.
Meghan’s initial reception, both by members of Harry’s family and the UK public, appeared to be a warm, fair welcome that made it seem as if Markle’s stay in Kensington Palace could potentially be for the long haul. However, Meghan’s induction into the British Royal Family did not go as smoothly as the public may have hoped.
The then 35-year-old actress had a hard time adjusting to the new etiquette enforced upon her as a fledgling member of the royal family, which subsequently led to her and Harry’s decision to take a modern approach to behaviour among the royal family.
Inside Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's Complex Relationship https://t.co/EFtYDHl56L pic.twitter.com/z84yXmg2aI
— People (@people) December 19, 2018
According to a statement issued by an anonymous source close to the royal family, the soon-to-be Duchess of Sussex and her husband-to-be, Harry, Duke of Sussex, were intent on modernising the monarchy, claiming that their royal aides were too inexperienced to harness their unique potential.
This intention from the youngest royal couple earned Meghan and Harry praise from the media at first, with some publications likening Markle to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Unfortunately, this behaviour may not have sat well with other members of the royal family, which, of course, includes the Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton, who has been a constant image of pristine etiquette, particularly as she wasn’t of royal descent, but a ‘commoner’.
According to some experts on the royal family, this could have been the start of all the tension that surfaced between the two royal couples. Many commentators in recent reports have voiced their opinion on this, claiming that Markle’s efforts of modernising the monarchy were doomed to fail from the start, citing Princess Diana’s efforts as a valuable example.
To further cement behavioural tension as the source for the royal dispute, Meghan spoke out during the filming of the recently published Netflix documentary series ‘Harry & Meghan’ about her first meeting with William and Kate. During the interview, Meghan alluded to how William and Kate’s approach seemed rather cold in comparison to her own warm and platonic demeanour reception.
Markle stated that she attempted to hug Kate, but was met with a ‘jarring’ response. She went on to say that she didn’t realise that many Brits were opposed to such behaviour, and that she would quickly learn that such formalities are maintained even behind closed doors.
While such tensions could certainly create an emotional stir, especially with a Californian-raised girl unfamiliar with the customs of the UK and their royalty, it might not exactly be the full reason for the royal row.
Wedding Day Blues
Meghan may have recently suggested that her relationship with the British Royal Family began with plenty of difficulties, it seems that things really got heated only by 2018, and that this was the start of the royal fallout.
While this was supposed to be a very special and happy time for Harry and Meghan, as well as their admirers, friends, and relatives who would join them for the celebration of their wedding, it was unfortunately plagued by a few upsetting events.
As news of Harry and Meghan’s wedding ceremony spread, everybody, including the royal family, was eager to celebrate, but as all brides-to-be often experience during such a stressful time, those wedding day blues seem all too willing to ruin everything.
One of the biggest and most upsetting incidents, which many claim to be the real reason behind Meghan and Kate’s feud, happened only a couple of days before the ceremony. Kate was reportedly seen visibly upset and in tears, but considering that this was shortly after giving birth to Prince Louis, it could have been expected.
Following this incident, a spate of rumours surfaced, and the tabloids quickly picked up on the investigation. Gossipers eventually learned that Kate stormed off during a dress fitting for Princess Charlotte, one of Meghan’s young bridesmaids.
According to certain sources, Kate and Meghan argued about what the three-year-old princess was permitted to wear, and it seems that the discussion became a little too heated. At the time, UK media began speculating that Meghan and Kate’s fragile friendship reached its end, and that the two might not see eye to eye again.
To further fuel the rumours, Kate didn’t attend the wedding ceremony as one of Meghan’s bridesmaids, as the media considered she might. However, according to later statements and further digging by the tabloids, it appears that this was not the only thing Kate and the bride-to-be argued about.
Only a couple of days before the wedding, Meghan and Kate would wrangle about whether or not the young bridesmaids should wear tights on the day of the wedding, apparently a tradition. Meghan desired that the bridesmaids attend without tights, but in 2011 at Kate’s wedding, they maintained the appropriate tradition.
Later that year, a couple of photographs surfaced depicting Kate and Meghan in a fully physical brawl which were proven to be fake. Aside from what controversies caught the attention of the public and media, more details about Meghan and Harry’s 2018 wedding surfaced a couple of years later.
During a candid interview with Oprah in 2021, Meghan disclosed information concerning her firstborn’s royal status, stating that Archie would not have a title, and as such would be denied any security and financial aid from the royals. This was perhaps expected, in view of Harry and Meghan’s decision to step away from royal duties, and to exit the UK.
Though both Harry and Meghan reluctantly addressed their concern, they couldn’t reveal too much on the issue, as the reasoning behind this decision could be damaging to the people in question. However, the Sussexes stated that Archie’s racial ethnicity attracted scrutiny, and could be the reason why he would be denied a royal title.
With the release of the Sussexes’ latest documentary, ‘Harry & Meghan’, one more detail about Meghan’s wedding came to light, which caused the Duchess a lot of emotional pain.
As she revealed, her niece, Ashleigh Hale, didn’t attend the wedding. Meghan explained the close bond she shared with Hale, but saying that the royal family advised her not to invite Ashleigh, as she isn’t a close relative, but the daughter of Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha, with whom she didn’t have a strong relationship.
According to Meghan, this caused her grief, and it seems to have created further tension between her and the British Royal Family.
The Pressure Piles Up
Further rumours of a growing rift between the two Duchesses attracted scrutiny in 2020, following Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave England, which would result in them abandoning their duties.
These suggestions gained further confirmation during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, as the body language between the two couples seemed especially cold. Neither Meghan nor Kate had much time for each other, and hardly joined in conversation more than what was expected of them.
Of course, the tension that rose from Harry and Meghan’s decision would be understandable, as this would mean the new Prince and Princess of Wales would have to double their duties and take on more work.
Suggestions in the media made it seem as if Kate is overwhelmed with what duties she and William have to perform, and to add to it, the couple already has to raise a family of three. Understandably, this caused a rise in tension between the couples, and many speculate that it could cause an irreparable rift in the royal family.
This hasn’t been completely confirmed, and admirers of both the Sussexes and Cambridges keep their hopes up for the couples to reconcile.
The Rift Widens
Only days before news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death shocked people all over the globe, things between the Cambridges and Sussexes got even further out of hand, possibly dampening any hopes of reconciliation.
While out in public, paparazzi snapped pictures of Meghan and Harry in a heated argument, and as the photographs indicated, whatever they disagreed about didn’t interest Markle by any measure.
Rumours quickly flared suggesting trouble in paradise, but luckily it seems that the argument was not of any strong enough nature that could cause a split between the married couple.
While the nature of the argument is yet to be confirmed, nothing prevented the gossip columns from suggesting that once again Kate may have been the source of the argument.
According to certain speculative sources, Harry may have suggested that he wanted to meet up with the Cambridges, but Markle wouldn’t have it. The tabloid in question even went so far as to quote an unnamed insider, though nothing mentioned in the gossip article has been confirmed.
Nonetheless, suggestions that Harry’s close friendship and tight relationship with Kate might be at fault for creating a rift between Meghan and her sister-in-law also gained mention in the article. The same anonymous source also stated that the couples nearly crossed paths, adding that it would have caused awkward tension so shortly before the memorial service.
The same tip-off source added that Meghan could never understand why Harry and Kate happened to be so close. The insider also stated that Meghan holds a negative opinion about Middleton, calling her snobbish and uptight.
The source suggested that Meghan only acted sourly because Kate did not warm up to her as easily as Meghan thought she would. However, despite the tension between the Sussexes and the new Prince and Princess of Wales, the people’s hopes were restored when the two couples appeared in public together to honour the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Surprisingly, the couple’s body language was relaxed and welcoming towards each other, suggesting perhaps that this might be the end of their supposed squabbling.
In the meantime though, the Cambridges and other members of the royal family are yet to comment on the Netflix documentary ‘Harry & Meghan’, which didn’t receive a very warm reception from viewers, especially in the UK.
Many loyal followers of the British Royal Family, as well as close relatives of Markle, did not waste time voicing their opinion, but almost all suggested that the series is reality-TV entertainment, rather than an interview, leaving the Sussexes hopelessly defending themselves.
