The Princess of Wales is said to believe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were "not to be trusted" following their interview with Oprah Winfrey, as she and Prince William are reportedly keen to avoid any "drama" surrounding the Sussexes' return to the UK.
Kate Middleton and Prince Harry used to have an incredibly close bond. The Princess of Wales and Duke of Sussex were often seen laughing together during official royal engagements, with Harry even describing Kate as the "sister he had never had".
However, even before Prince Harry's decision to quit both his role as a senior working royal and the UK, tensions between the two couples were building.
Wedding dress dispute
One of the first disagreements came just before Harry's lavish Windsor wedding to Meghan in 2018, following a dispute over Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress. It was first reported that Kate and Meghan had a disagreement over what the flower girls, of which Kate's young daughter Princess Charlotte was one, should wear, and it was initially claimed that the Duchess of Sussex was the one who made the Princess of Wales cry.
However, in her interview about her time as a working royal with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan had a very different story. When asked if there was a situation where Kate cried, Meghan explained that "the reverse happened" during a tough wedding week.
"A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining - yes, the issue was correct - about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings," said Meghan. "Everyone in the institution knew it wasn't true. I am not sharing that piece about Kate to be in any way disparaging about her. I would hope that she would want that to be corrected."
Harry's account in Spare
And in his memoir, Spare, Harry himself addressed what he said had happened. The Duke of Sussex claims the incident was largely driven by Kate, who was angry at having to wait a day to hear back from Meghan about the 'offending' garment ahead of the 2018 Royal wedding. He said that Meghan's suggestion of bringing the dress to a tailor on standby at Kensington Palace "wasn't sufficient" and Kate insisted "all the dresses need to be remade".
Ahead of their wedding day, Harry said Meghan was juggling issues with Charlotte's dress with the chaos surrounding her father, Thomas Markle - and eventually ended up "sobbing on the floor".
Harry wrote: "Meg didn't reply to Kate straight away. Yes, she had endless wedding-related texts, but mostly she was dealing with the chaos surrounding her father. So the next morning she texted Kate that our tailor was standing by."
Relations deteriorate and return to UK
Relations between the two couples further deteriorated in the run up to Megxit, when Harry and Meghan declared they wanted to become financially independent and quit the UK to move to Montecito in California. The couple embarked on several high profile interviews and also had their own Netflix series, Finding Freedom, about their time working within the monarchy, as well as Harry publishing his memoir.
However, in August they made the bombshell announcement they were returning to the UK. Since then, Archie and Lilibet have been enrolled in two British schools amid concerns from Harry and Meghan's security team about the journey to and from the couple's first choice for their children. Harry has also attended the WellChild Awards, a cause close to his heart, while Meghan met fellow America ex-pat, Ellen Degeneres in a country pub.
While the Duke of Sussex is believed to have built bridges with his father, King Charles, on visits back to the UK over the last few months, his relationship with the Prince and Princess of Wales is not thought to have improved.
Kate's three-word belief
Prince William was said to be "saddened" by his brother's decision to step down as a senior working royal back in 2020, however he and Kate are now believed to be keen to avoid any "drama" surrounding Harry and Meghan's return and are determined to "look to the future".
Meanwhile the Princess of Wales, who had long been seen as the voice of reason between the warring Windsor brothers, was said to be less keen to persuade Harry and Meghan to stay, believing their decision to step down was "inevitable". In his book, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, Mirror royal editor Russell Myers says the Princess of Wales is said to have believed her brother-in-law would desire more than being a "bit-part player" in the monarchy, given his profound differences with her husband.
The book also details how Kate came to believe Harry and Meghan were "not to be trusted" following their interview with Oprah. It also claims the future queen, who had been more than willing to give Meghan a chance upon joining the Royal Family, believed the Sussexes "had an agenda" and their conduct went beyond simply being "difficult".
