Meghan Markle’s Friendship With Kate Middleton Reportedly Got ‘Started on the Wrong Foot’

The royal family feud has largely been focused on Prince William and Prince Harry, but Kate Middleton’s rocky relationship with Meghan Markle is getting a fresh look from royal author Ingrid Seward. She seems to believe that the women never had the opportunity to form a real friendship because too many royal issues got in the way early on.

Even though Kate, William, and Harry were “a really close-knit trio,” the Duke of Sussex would try and get his sister-in-law’s approval anytime a new girlfriend entered the picture. Seward told Fox News Digital that Meghan’s appearance was “disruptive” because “it wasn’t like the other girlfriends.” From the start, the royal expert alleged that “there [wasn’t] that warm feeling” between Kate and Meghan, and then their friendship “started on the wrong foot.” She noted, “Kate wanted to like Meghan, but it didn’t work out that way.”

While Seward didn’t go into detail about what went wrong, Meghan’s recollection of her first meeting with William and Kate reflects what the author is sharing. “They came for dinner,” she recalled in the Netflix Harry & Meghan docuseries. “I remember I was in ripped jeans, and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger.” She went to hug her future family members as a warm greeting, but she felt the resistance right away.

“I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she explained. “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. That there is a forward-facing way of being. And then you close the door, ‘Oh, great. OK, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides and that was surprising to me.” That moment of culture shock resonated beyond their first encounter, though. The women never found their friendship groove, and the Duchess of Sussex felt isolated while trying to navigate the rules and formalities of living in the royal family.

It’s likely why there seems to be two sides to the bridesmaid dress disagreement ahead of Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry. Both women might only see their version of events when the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But, without a basis of friendship, the palace set them up for frenemy status. Not everyone can be besties with their sister-in-law, yet both women needed an ally at the palace — and it’s too bad they didn’t have each other.