Royal experts have claimed that a tense 2018 meeting between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton set the wheels in motion for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to dramatically quit their royal roles.
Meghan Markle has returned to the UK with husband Prince Harry and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have moved into a private, non-royal home outside of London, and their children will be attending British schools.
King Charles Clarifies Their Position
Last week, King Charles issued a letter to government departments, military officials and Lord Lieutenants, which explained Harry and Meghan's position now they have returned. It read: "It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of the Sovereign, and are no longer working members of the Royal Family. The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity." The letter also stresses the couple's HRH titles remain suspended and are not to be used in official contexts.
Harry and Meghan were "surprised" by the contents of the letter, which the Palace says was sent to them 67 minutes before it was released. A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess said: "We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance." But the couple insist they are "happy to be back" in the UK, and getting Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet settled at school "remains their focus".
The Fab Four's Early Days
A source close to Harry and Meghan told the US magazine People: "Everything else will fall into place when the time is right. There is a lot to do. They have just moved halfway across the world and it’s been really busy getting the kids settled. Their focus has been on that, and will remain on that, for the time being. They are happy to be back."
Prince William and Kate Middleton are said to be keen to avoid any "drama" surrounding the return of Harry and Meghan and a source close to the Prince and Princess of Wales claims they will "ignore" the issue in a bid to not add fuel to the fire. It's a far cry from the early days of Prince Harry's relationship with Meghan when the two royal couples were dubbed the 'Fab Four' and seemed close. However, in the years leading up to Megxit, when Harry and Meghan left both their roles as senior working royals and the UK to begin a new life in California, tensions had been brewing.
The 2018 Meeting That Changed Everything
Kate and Meghan are believed to have first had a falling out over bridesmaid dresses in the run up to the former actress's wedding to the Duke of Sussex. It was claimed that Meghan was left in tears and that Kate "grimaced" when the duchess borrowed her lipgloss. So, in 2018 the two couples are believed to have held what they hoped would be a clear the air meeting.
However, things got so tense that Kate's fingers supposedly went white. Harry describes the moment in his memoir after he and Meghan were invited over to see William and Kate for tea at their Kensington Palace apartment. He recalls how both couples aired their grievances including Kate, who asked for an apology from Meghan as she gripped a leather sofa so tightly her "fingers were white".
According to Harry's memoir Spare, Kate wanted Meghan to say sorry for making a remark about her hormones and having "baby brain" while she was pregnant. The book then recounts how Meghan apologised and explained that is how she speaks to her friends. But the meeting took a turn when Harry claims William "pointed a finger at Meg", then allegedly blasted: "Well, it's rude, Meghan. These things are not done here." To which he says Meghan responded: "If you don't mind, keep your finger out of my face."
Experts Weigh In on the Fallout
A Channel 5 documentary, 'Meghan vs Kate: The Meeting That Changed the Monarchy', features royal experts who believe this meeting was a turning point for the Sussexes. According to the Daily Mail's Richard Kay, this was the meeting that saw "the seed of Megxit sewn" while fellow expert Sarah Hewson said: "Had that meeting been a success, had they been able to put their differences aside, things would have been very different indeed."
And chief royal correspondent from Newsweek, Jack Royston said: "If only they'd listened. If Meghan had listened what was being said to her, she could have changed way back in 2018. And even if they had still quit the monarchy, they could have saved themselves so much pain and so much conflict. What happened in that room back in June 2018 was the defining element of the relationship between the two couples that ripped the monarchy to pieces."
However, it seems six years after Harry and Meghan left the UK and have now returned, there is no sign of an end to the tension between to two couples.
