The Duchess of Sussex first met Kate Middleton in 2016, shortly after she started dating Prince Harry, and the two women never really hit it off
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton reportedly don’t see eye to eye(Image: Getty Images)
Meeting the significant other’s family can be intimidating, especially for Meghan Markle, who had to make a regal impression when she first began dating Prince Harry. The Duchess of Sussex shared her initial thoughts on her sister-in-law Kate after a private dinner the couple hosted.
Prince Harry initially discovered Meghan on Instagram in 2016 and invited her to dinner at London’s Soho House. This sparked a series of dates and a week-long wilderness camping trip together. Following their 2017 engagement, the couple reflected on Meghan’s first encounter with Kate in an interview with the BBC’s Mishal Hussein.
At the time, Harry recounted: “It was exciting. I mean, I mean I’ve—you know I’d been seeing her for a period of time when I literally didn’t tell anybody at all.”
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He continued, “And then William was longing to meet her and so was Catherine, so you know, being our neighbours, we managed to get that in a couple of – well, quite a few times now, and Catherine has been absolutely…” Meghan concisely chimed in, describing Kate as “Wonderful.”
Meghan commended the Royal Family for their warm reception and fondly remembered her first meeting with the late Queen. Meghan opened up about her unique introduction to the Queen, explaining: “I think, you know, to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honour and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother, all of those layers have been so important for me so that when I met her I had such a deep understanding and of course incredible respect for being able to have that time with her. And we’ve had a really – she’s – she’s an incredible woman.”, reports the Mirror.
When Meghan entered the Royal scene, there was speculation that she and Kate might forge a close connection through their common experience of joining the Royal Family. Yet, it appears the duo didn’t quite click due to their differing personalities. Later, Meghan confessed to experiencing a ‘jarring’ moment during her first encounter with Kate.
Kate and Meghan are said to have a fractured relationship(Image: Getty Images)
In the second episode of their six-part Netflix series, Meghan recounted the story: “When Will and Kate came over, and I met her for the first time, they came over for dinner. I remember I was in ripped jeans and barefoot. I was a hugger. I’ve always been a hugger. I didn’t realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.”
She went on to note how the formality she observed in public was also present in private life: “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and go ‘You can relax now’, but that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me.”
In his memoir Spare, Harry describes in more detail his observations of the intricate dynamic between the two significant women in his life, Meghan and Kate. He describes their early encounters as strained. Specifically, Harry recounts an argument over bridesmaids’ dresses ahead of his wedding, which left Meghan in tears and Kate in a tense mood.
Harry alleges that Kate made a snide comment about Meghan having “baby brain” after the birth of Prince Louis and asked for an apology, claiming Kate grimaced when Meghan used her lip gloss.
Harry and Meghan after the announcement of their engagement (Image: PA)
Reflecting on the first dinner the two women had together, Harry notes the differing fashion choices, with Meghan sporting ripped jeans and bare feet, and Kate dressed more formally.
Harry’s account includes the fact that, initially, the dinner went well, with the conversation revolving around Wimbledon and the hit TV series, Suits. However, he sensed there might be tension under the surface.
Harry acknowledges the apparent disparity in style but claims he didn’t think it was a significant concern at the time.
Nonetheless, Harry suggests that it was during this very same evening that he first sensed that Meghan and Kate might have different personalities.
He recollects: “The only possibly discordant note I could think of was the marked difference in how the two women dressed, which both of them seemed to notice. Meg: ripped jeans, barefoot. Kate: done up to the nines. No big deal, I thought.”