Meghan Markle Expectations for Her Relationship With Kate Middleton Were ‘Unrealistic’, Experts Say
Though they always seemed friendly and cordial in public, the awkward tension between Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at Commonwealth Day 2020 could have been cut with a knife.
The women shared a brief greeting but said little else to one another. Instead, they both engaged with Sophie, Countess of Wessex separately, watched the ceremony and said nothing more when the event was over. Now that Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s new book Finding Freedom is out, royal fans have more insight into the duchesses’ relationship.
It seems that Meghan expected much more of Kate then the mother-of-three was able or willing to give.
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton never had a real friendship
When Meghan and Prince Harry first got engaged in 2017, royal fans and perhaps even the royals themselves hoped the Cambridges and the Sussexes would form the “Fab Four.” Unfortunately, that never happened. As Kate was busy with her growing family and her royal roles, Meghan was left to fend for herself, literally.
In Finding Freedom, Scobie and Durand write that in 2017 both women were living at Kensington Palace. One day, palace security informed them they had plans to shop on the same street. However, instead of leaving together, Kate allegedly began driving her Range Rover in the opposite direction leaving Meghan behind.
“Of all the people in the royal family, Meghan said she had hoped to develop a close relationship with Kate, but was never given the chance,” a source told Daily Mail. “It was hurtful and disappointing for Meghan.”
Kate Middleton didn’t seem interested in getting to know Meghan Markle
While Kate was always friendly with Meghan and she appreciated how happy the former actor made Prince Harry, she was initially suspicious of the Suits alum urging her brother-in-law to be cautious with his new romance.
When Kate realized that Meghan was the one for Harry, Finding Freedom suggests that Kate still focused on herself, feeling as if she and the American humanitarian had very little in common. In Finding Freedom Scobie and Durand write,
Meghan would agree with the assessment that the duchesses were not the best of friends. Their relationship hadn’t progressed much since she was Harry’s girlfriend. Meghan envisioned Kate would reach out and help her understand everything an outsider to the Firm needed to know. That didn’t happen. Meghan was disappointed that she and Kate hadn’t bonded over the position they shared, but she wasn’t losing sleep over it.
Meghan Markle expected too much of Kate Middleton
It has been reported that the Duchess of Sussex had particularly hoped Kate would have extended a hand to her at the height of the bullying, trolling, and attacks against her. However, the LA native may have been expecting too much. In the new Channel 5 documentary, Meghan & Harry: The New Revelations royal expert Katie Nicholl explained,
While there might have been an expectation from Meghan that Kate was going to sit down and show her the ropes, perhaps that was an unrealistic expectation. The Duchess of Cambridge is a busy woman but Meghan clearly took that quite personally.
Royal expert Russell Myers added, “They were very different women from very different backgrounds who were already going to have very different roles within the institution. The pictures of them laughing and joking together at Wimbledon was probably the best it was ever going to get.”
At least we know there was never an actual feud between these women.
