Princess Kate and Meghan Markle. Getty Images (2)
Princess Kate Middleton has an apparent visceral reaction to hearing Meghan Markle’s name.
Kate, 41, has “jokingly shivered” upon hearing Meghan’s name, author Omid Scobie reveals in his upcoming book Endgame. The royal expert also notes that Kate and Meghan, 42, have had “almost zero direct communication” since 2019. However, they’ve shared “short pleasantries” over the years.
According to the book, there’s no reconciliation on the horizon when it comes to things between Kate and Meghan. The Princess of Wales also has no desire to mend her relationship with Prince Harry either.
While it appeared that Kate and Meghan formed a fast friendship when meeting in 2017, rumors of a rift between the two women started to swirl the following year.
Princess Kate and Meghan Markle’s complex relationship started off on the right foot, with the two aligning themselves together in a fast friendship after meeting in January 2017. However, rumors of a growing rift between the two soon begun to plague the royal family. Before she tied the knot with Prince Harry in May 2018, […]
It was widely reported that ahead of Meghan’s 2018 wedding to Harry, 39, a dress fitting for Kate and Prince William’s daughter, Charlotte, went awry. Per widespread rumors, Kate left the fitting in tears. However, Meghan revealed during a 2021 tell-all interview that “the reverse happened.”
Princess Kate and Meghan Markle. Karwai Tang/WireImage
Meghan called the moment “a turning point” for her with the royal family.
“A few days before the wedding she was upset about flower girl dresses and it made me cry. It really hurt my feelings,” Meghan claimed at the time. “She was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologized. And she brought me flowers and a note, apologizing. And she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone, right, to just take accountability for it.”
Meghan said the hardest part was getting over something she was being blamed for.
“Everyone in the institution knew it wasn’t true,” Meghan said. “I’m not sharing that piece about Kate in any way to be disparaging to her. I think it’s really important for people to understand the truth.”
Per Scobie’s book, Kate “watched in silence” as the narrative played out in the public eye. While Kate did offer an apology, “the damage from the public rift was already done.”
Princess Kate, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle. Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images
After Meghan and Harry announced their plans to step back from the royal family in January 2020, there was no hope for a relationship between the two women. Meghan and Kate had “not spoken since” the drama started, a source told Us Weekly at the time.
Following their shocking step away from their senior royal duties in March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have distanced themselves from their relatives across the pond. Nearly one year after their initial step away, Buckingham Palace confirmed in February 2021 that Harry and the Suits alum were not going to return as working royals. […]
Harry and Meghan made their royal family departure permanent in February 2021.
In the years that followed, the couple has shared more insight into the issues between Meghan with Kate. Harry, for his part, shared his side of the past wedding drama with his Spare memoir, released earlier this year.
“[Kate] had other problems with the way Meg was planning her wedding,” recalling the dress incident in the book. “It was intolerable — but temporary.”
When Meghan skipped out on King Charles III coronation in May, a separate source told Us Kate had “no desire” to communicate with Meghan or Harry. “There has been too much that has happened and she’s not ready yet,” the insider added.