The Duchess of Sussex and Princess of Wales’ relationship has been the subject of speculation over the years, but a royal expert has claimed there was an early sign of their ‘powerful differences’
Over the years, speculation has been rife about Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton’s relationship, but it appears there was a tell-tale sign early on that they didn’t quite meet eye to eye, a royal expert has shared.
When Meghan was introduced as the newest member of the Royal Family, having officially tied the knot with Prince Harry in May 2018, excitement was in the air at the prospect of the couple joining Kate and Prince William for various royal engagements.
In fact, before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family in 2020, they were often seen alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales, which earned them the nickname of the ‘Fab Four’.
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Their first official joint engagement as the ‘Fab Four’ was during the Royal Foundation Forum in February 2018, which was also Meghan’s first official event with her future in-laws. Harry and William arrived on stage with their partners to a round of applause and sat down for a joint interview to talk about the future of the Royal Foundation.
While it was an exciting time for outsiders, as the ‘Fab Four’ appeared united on stage together, this is thought to have been the start of tension between the brothers and their partners.
“There was a soft-focus filter over this ‘Fab Four’ meeting of minds at the time, as Harry rather coldly and incorrectly put it, ‘We’re together for life’,” body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail.
She continued: “The expectation was that we had a new friend and ‘sister’ for Kate in much the same way that Fergie and Diana paired off, plus a very glamorous royal quartet to team up for their campaigns and charities.”
During the appearance, Meghan unknowingly swerved into politics as she encouraged women to “use their voices” and promoted a campaign that aimed to create laws to punish companies that tolerated sexual harassment. While it was an important subject and law to discuss, as a rule, royals are expected to stay out of politics and refrain from sharing personal opinions on it.
Noting Meghan’s passionate views at the Royal Foundation, Judi added: “There was a powerful difference between the more cautious, careful and rather slow-hand-on-the-tiller campaign approach of William and Kate and the warp-speed urgency, drive, passion and energy of Meghan.”
Kate was also heavily pregnant at the time, and the expert noted that she “looked and sounded tired.” In contrast to Meghan’s approach, Kate appeared more relaxed, “speaking softly and smiling politely.”
In a nod to their differences, Judi also commented that Meghan “clearly knew how to work and hold a room actively, while Kate, as a royal, had only ever needed to adopt a more passive approach”.
Author Tom Bower also claimed that Meghan’s comments during the engagement upset the foundation’s executives and created an awkward atmosphere among the four. In an excerpt from ‘Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War between the Windsors’, Bower wrote: “While Meghan spoke, Harry spotted William’s rictus grin… ‘Wedding first’, Harry whispered loudly.”.
While the four all laughed at Harry’s comment, the author paints a picture that it was his way of reminding his fiancée at the time not to get ahead of herself. “We can multi-task,’ Meghan replied to the unexpected interruption.”
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