It is no secret that Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and the rest of the royal family do not get along very well.
Along with the publication of Harry’s memoir, Spare, earlier this year, the Netflix docuseries about the Sussexes was released in December, bringing all that underlying tension and upheaval back into the public eye.
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The relationship between Prince William and his younger brother has undoubtedly deteriorated recently, but what about their wives, Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle?
Meghan made reference to her future sister-in-law on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, two years before she began seeing Harry.
Meghan wrote the following in a Q&A with Princess Alia Al-Senussi of the Libyan royal family: “Little girls imagine themselves as princesses. For me, She-Ra, Princess of Power, was everything.
“And these childhood fantasies seem to still exist in grown women. Just take a look at all the fanfare surrounding the royal wedding and the never-ending discussion about Princess Catherine.”
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During her interview with Prince Harry for their engagement, Meghan made her first public remarks about Catherine.
Shortly after he proposed, the newly engaged couple gave an interview to the BBC. During the interview, they were asked about Meghan’s introduction to the royal family.
It was exciting because, as you may know, I had been seeing her for some time without telling anyone at all, Harry said. “Then, both Catherine and William were eager to meet her.
“As a result, you know, being our neighbors, we were able to arrange that quite a few times, and Catherine has been without a doubt…
Meghan chimed in, “She’s been great. Amazing, the Prince concurred. William has also, you know, provided fantastic support.
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The Duchess provided more information about her first encounter with Catherine in episode two of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series, but she seemed to imply some initial awkwardness.
Meghan recalled, “I remember I was in ripped jeans and barefoot, I think we went for dinner. I remember I met her [Catherine] for the first time.”
“I was a hugger, I always have been, and I didn’t know that that was off-putting for a lot of Brits.”
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She continued as images of William and Catherine were shown: “When you close the door, [sighs], I can finally unwind because I started to realize that the formality on the outside carried over to the inside and that there is a forward-facing way of being. That formality, however, is maintained on both sides, and I found that to be unexpected.”
Making A Difference Together, their first official royal engagement together with their respective spouses William and Harry for the first Royal Foundation Forum in London in February 2018, was evidently a source of great joy for the couple.
Harry mentioned the friendship between the group back then: “I think having four distinct personalities is a really good thing,” he said. “We all share the same passion for wanting to change the world, you know.
“However, [our] differing viewpoints complement one another incredibly well, in my opinion. Working as a family is not without its difficulties. Obviously, it does. But for the rest of our lives, we’re bound to each other.” Then, Meghan said, “Togetherness at its best.”
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After a few years, the “Fab Fourrelationships “‘s had deteriorated.
There was a persistent rumor that Catherine and Meghan were at odds over Princess Charlotte’s flower girl attire from the royal wedding. And during the couple’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan seemed to confirm as much.
Meghan denied that she had caused Catherine to cry and said: “The storyline involving Catherine didn’t take place.”
“She was upset about the flower girl dresses a few days before the wedding, and I started crying. My feelings were severely hurt. The wedding week was very challenging. She was also upset about something, but she took responsibility for it and apologized. She apologized in a note and brought me flowers. She then did what I would do if I knew I had hurt someone: she simply accepted responsibility.”
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Meghan assured the audience that she didn’t share that story “to be disparaging” to Catherine. She added, “She’s a good person. “I believe that a lot of what I have observed is the polarity theory, which states that you don’t have to despise her if you love me. And you don’t have to despise me if you love her.”
